Speaking of Art Blog

Just as with people in other chosen professions, artists across the globe are on a steep learning curve these days to figure out how to reinvent themselves during this pandemic.  For me it’s been quite the roller coaster.  Since I am part hermit crab, I first found the extra time to work at my easel to be refreshing, sort of like a really long, unexpected snow day that lasted for many weeks.  I was churning out tons of artwork, thinking all the while that my art booth at my scheduled summer art events would be bursting the seams.  How great is that?

Then as more and more in-person art events all got cancelled, I hit a wall.  What was the point of creating more artwork if ALL my possibilities for selling any of my work this year were gone, simply wiped off my calendar altogether?  How depressing.  While it’s true that we artists are not in it just for the sales, then again, we are expressing ourselves through our art and we want to share it, get it into other people’s homes, and connect with the world out there.  What fun is it to simply have it pile up in a spare bedroom?  Besides that, it’s not exactly cheap to continue to buy art supplies when there’s no monetary flow coming in the door.  As the summer progressed I became more and more depressed about creating new artwork.

But one silver lining is that I have entered a number of online shows, and one of them is sponsored by the Art Barn School of Art in Valparaiso, IN.    It’s called Art in Quarantine, and it includes only art created DURING this pandemic.  I submitted four paintings and drawings, which were all accepted into the exhibit.  The part of this project that was unique was that, in addition to submitting images of my artwork, I also had to submit a small essay with each one, explaining why I felt the importance of doing that particular piece of work during the pandemic.  What was my inspiration and what message did I want it to convey?

Hmm, that made me stop to think:  Why did I choose to do those four paintings and drawings?  I took the time to really think that through and, I must admit, I found the process of contemplating that to be very cathartic.  Most times we artists are only doers, but we should stop to engage our thinker part of our brain too.  It helps.  It didn’t make my present stagnating art venue situation go away, but it did help me to see that, although I am not connecting artistically very much with the outside world right now, I am still in tune with my inner artist self, and that’s a very good thing.  My artwork is still reflecting who I am inside.

So here are my four essays alongside the corresponding artwork.  BTW, they are all for sale.  If you live in the greater Chicagoland/NW Indiana area and are interested in purchasing an artwork you see here, I would be happy to deliver it to your door, contact free.  Just click on the Contact the Artist link at the top of this page and let’s talk.  I could email you pictures of it framed too.

Almost Spring, charcoal & graphite, 9x11”, $265

I've been doing a lot of hiking during quarantine, taking advantage of the many trails at the IN Dunes.  I encountered this scene while hiking one cold day in early spring as all the snow and ice were starting to thaw.  The stark stillness of the scene leant itself to my using only drawing tools, keeping the focus on the black & white drama.  There was an anticipatory feeling in the air of spring's colorful burst just around the corner.  It gave me hope.

Splash of Yellow, charcoal & pastel, 7x8”, $175

During this quarantine, backyard bird watching has taken a front seat in our home.  And oh my, this spring our multiple bird feeders were in high demand with a wide variety of migrating birds that were sometimes visiting our back deck for only a few days.  That was the case with this Yellow-throated Warbler.  Such a strikingly beautiful little bird!  Its brief visit was a welcome sight.

Fringe Jackets, 11x14”, $375

During this quarantine I find myself craving color, bright bold color.  My own garden did not disappoint.  Some fringe tulips sprang up that I had forgotten I had planted last year.  Their super bright reds, oranges, and yellows, and textured fringe jackets inspired me to do this painting.

Hidden, 14x11”, $375

We professional artists are all working to reinvent ourselves during this pandemic.  As an art instructor besides, I am no exception. I decided to try my hand at giving a Zoom pastel demo to my Art Barn students, and this was my demo painting.  I chose it not only because I could teach about how to effectively use so many shades of green, but I also felt like this cute little frog was hiding in a self-imposed quarantine of sorts.  And it looked happy about it besides, grinning from ear to ear.  Such a fun lesson to give, and Zooming seems a bit less scary now.

Hopefully this whole pandemic nightmare will be a distant memory by next summer, but until then I plan to take the time every so often to make sure I know why I’m doing this sometimes frustrating, but also very fulfilling thing called creating art.  And I’m sure the connecting with the public part will be that much sweeter when it finally happens again in the future.