SLIP

Enrolling at the Art Farm should have been fun, but Jade’s best friend, Phoebe, has just attempted suicide; the residency is more intense and competitive than she had imagined; and she’s feeling lost among the creative, inspired residents.

Yet the summer is full of promise, beauty, and friendship—especially the possibility of romance with the absolutely lovely and whimsical Mary—even as it comes with a side of guilt for Jade as she thinks about Phoebe. When pushed to consider her creative process, Jade turns clay and inner turmoil into ceramic monsters, which in turn change form, springing to life from the kiln. The color palette shifts from monochrome to sepia as Jade finds herself missing Phoebe and starts rationalizing her newfound feelings through imaginary conversations with her friend. Splashes of fabulism are seamlessly incorporated through illustrations and text to celebrate art—its purpose and technique and powers to heal, disrupt, and inspire—all without being sentimental. Slip is liquefied clay that’s used to attach and protect pottery, and it serves as a metaphor running through the work about transformation, fragility, and bonding. Yet, there is space for more depth of character development, especially of the other artists at the Art Farm and in the relationship between Phoebe and Jade. Jade has brown skin and wavy dark hair; Mary has light skin and dark hair.

A fierce, transformative graphic novel about art and relationships.