Welcome to a new world. Mountains have been popping up like weeds, rivers have been testing out their banks, and trees of all kinds have settled into comfortable forest communities. Towns have formed, and roads. Towns need people, so people came, along with their hopes, fears, and dreams. The disparate pieces began to connect, and soon it wasn't just a map, but a place, a place that was alive and teeming with stories and adventures. A place like this needs a name, but how can you put a single word to a whole world? A world where, in the wilds of the Cratic Desert, a city is being built by dreamers with a vision; a world where, in the green and lively land of the Overgrowth, villagers live out their lives alongside the noble, ancient trees. A world where every rock and every creature is waiting for you to meet them and share with you what they know. But worlds have names, and so will this one. I call it Jinivar. Welcome to Jinivar.
Here's a map, so you can find your way around. Visit each region to meet some representatives from across the land, their homes, local flora and fauna, and their stories. The stories don't end with what's posted here—imagine your own additions, even write them down if you like. What's it like to live in Brolia, a land of lakes and mountains separated from the others by the deep blue ocean waters and challenging terrain? Or perhaps you'd prefer the densely populated Masconian Empire in the cold northern lands—where they think that Jinivar should be called Masconia. See what stories you find, and let the adventures come.
Click on the map to visit, or select from the list of regions below.
The images and stories of Jinivar were originally made as sets of 4x6" postcards, with an image on one side and the text on the back. Instead of opening each region to see them, you can also view them in the order they were created. Most sets have a specific theme, and each set explores a different mixed-media style or technique, as described below.
Set 1: Faces; collaged block-prints on gelli-printed and other papers
Set 2: Buildings/structures; paper collage with patterned or geometric rubber stamps
Set 3: Creatures; collaged gelli-printed pages (made with animal-pattern stencils)
Set 4: People; hand-drawn cartoon people colored with alcohol markers on found photos
Set 5: Plants; collaged gelli-printed papers
Set 6: People with their pets; collaged painted papers with found images
Set 7: People, creatures and places; contact-paper transfers on painted papers with hand-drawn images
Set 8: Hand-drawn faces with collaged bodies and backgrounds; numbers theme
Set 9: Coming Soon! Collaborative works using masterboards and hand-drawn or collaged elements
View contributions made to the Jinivar postcard collection by guest artists.
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