Colin West: The Big Book of Nonsense - Moose

The Big Book of Nonsense

First published in 2001

Text: Colin West

Illustrations: Colin West

The year 2001

I decided that I would research events that happened in the year The Big Book of Nonsense was published. I picked out things that could have influenced the art of the time. 
- The worlds first artificial heart is implanted into Robert Tools.
- Microsoft launches Windows XP.
- 9/11 attacks, World Trade Centre, New York. 
-A black monolith measuring approximately 9 feet tall apears in Seattle.
- $100 million worth of art was destroyed in 9/11, works include that of Alexander Calder, Joan Miro and Roy Lichtenstein.

The Big Book of Nonsense was also on the list of books but it has now became something that we must do. I have to choose one poem from the book and create one illustration for it. I have decided to illustrate 'Moose' - "What use is a Moose? Except, perhaps, for coats and hats."
I am really looking forward to illustrating this because I have a really good idea of what I want to draw and how I would like to do it.

When I first read this poem I got an instant idea for what I would like to illustrate. My idea was to put a Moose head on a wooden plaque in the background and have a woman in the foreground wearing a fur coat and hat; to suggest the Moose fur has been used to make the hat and coat. After a lot of thinking I realised this could be a very sensitive and offensive subject considering a lot of people are against animal cruelty but I think with this idea I am creating a contrast between illustrations for kids and illustrations for adults. I have decided to proceed with this idea but I am in no way promoting animal cruelty.