Artistic Emotion:
Jan. 8, 2011, is a day I, along with other Tucson Weekly employees and Tucsonans, will never forget.
I remember hearing of the tragedy from my sister. Shortly after that, I was called by Tucson Weekly editor Jimmy Boegle. It was the call from Jimmy that snapped me into my media role.
The day after the shootings, as everyone was struggling with shock and questions of, “Why?” or, “How could this happen?” I found myself NEEDING to do something.
So that morning, I developed a plan of what I wanted and needed to do, art-wise, for the Weekly. I knew that most media outlets were going to publish photos of the shooting scene, people at the memorials, and other somber photographs. I wanted to be different. I wanted to produce something that would make people smile, as Gabrielle Giffords herself usually does.
Gabrielle is praised for her personal touch with the community. She is fully involved in Tucson. On the evening of the shootings, people started to leave things at a makeshift memorial at her Tucson headquarters. I knew that capturing this memorial would be different then the memorial at University Medical Center. It was away from the media at UMC. It was completely Tucson.
I decided to use photo her office had sent the Weekly a couple of months ago—with her trademark smile. I also decided to use the Arizona flag, to remind people that everyone in the state had been shocked by tragedy. From there, the cover came together.
I enhanced the some colors in the photographs, to bring out the vibrancy in the Arizona flag, the colors in the gifts at the memorial, and the smile that Gabrielle almost always wears.
I know it will be a hard road for everyone, especially her. But I am sure we will see that smile again.