The ancient Mayans’ 5,000-year-long calendar ended abruptly with December 2012, leading many to speculate the end of the world was drawing nigh. “What if someone made a 2012 calendar titled ‘The Last Calendar You’ll Ever Need?’” joked Jocelyn Mosser. Her sister, Corina Dross, liked the idea and suggested maybe they should join together to be that “someone.”
The world did its part by not ending after all, and the artists have been creating their distinctive limited-edition calendars ever since. In this collaborative effort, Corina often inks the outlines for Jocelyn to paint, but occasionally they each do a little of both. When they’re together (which happens infrequently, since Jocelyn lives in Marshall and Corina lives in Olympia, Washington), they sometimes work simultaneously on different pieces of the same image. Their company’s name, Abacus Corvus, “is a nerdy reference to counting crows,” says Jocelyn.
Each year’s calendar has a theme, something they decide upon after considering the events running through their lives personally and globally. In addition, admits Corina, “We always align each year’s images with what’s happening astrologically, [although] it isn’t the strongest factor in our process.”
The 2017 theme, for example, was “Safe Passage.” The artists say they both had a strong feeling that folks were going to need extra emotional support this past year and wanted their calendar to offer that. But the idea is flexible. “For us,” explains Jocelyn, “it is, above all, a way of moving through uncertainty with unconditional support and love.”
They hang the printed calendars in their own kitchens, where they get to experience them fresh, reflecting on each month’s chosen image. As they move through the year, they sometimes find striking synchronicities and realize: “Aha, that’s what that image meant!” says Jocelyn.
The 2018 calendar is the sisters’ seventh. It’s titled “Blessed Unrest” and will be a continuation of last year’s theme, with messages of support and reflection — plus, for added assurance, 12 small spells.
Abacus Corvus. For details, visit abacuscorvus.com. The sisters will sell calendars, prints, postcards, magnets, and other items at The Big Crafty, December 2–3, at the US Cellular Center in downtown Asheville. For details, visit thebigcrafty.com.