Emily, Berger (San Marcos, Texas), "Camping", copper and wood, NFS. My experience during COVID-19 has included many ups and downs. I've become more stressed about money, motivation and determination. I've realized I crave human interaction more than I thought I did. I miss exploring outside and enjoying the beauty in the natural world. This piece is dedicated to memories of camping with my family as a child. These are leaves found in a photo from these times. I hope we can create these valuable experiences again soon.
Nicholas Thompson (Ottawa, Canada), Crouching Boy, clay (for Bronze), 6x4.5x7", $1200. I have two young children, so living in lockdown for me has been dominated by parenting. I have found it tremendously challenging to find balance and remain emotionally centered while trying to manage kids all day every day. Once the schools closed I asked my son to pose for me for a sculpture. I hope it reflects our shared feeling of quietly waiting for things to change.
Keith Buswell (Lincoln, Nebraska), Rue, Etching, 15" x 12" (unframed print), 25" x 20" (framed), $75.00 (unframed print), $350 (framed). This body of work exemplifies the idea of community. Recent discoveries have shown that some trees speak and help each other through a complex system of fungus underground. I highlight places that mean something to me, in this case Nebraska City, Nebraska where I attended an artist residency at the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts. It was an area devastated by recent floods and years of meth addiction, which I, myself, struggled with for seven years. I look at the time of my life as a period of isolation and social distancing, and recently, I have experienced flashbacks on that time. My community, even from a safe distance, helped me get through that dark period as I know it will help me get through this one.
Keith Buswell (Lincoln, Nebraska), "Terrace", etching, 29" x 17" (unframed print), 38" x 25" (framed), $180.00 (unframed print), $750 (framed) Community is a notion that we are not only connected by our heritage, but also through an exchange of ideas and a desire to help one another. Trees personify this complex and vital system. Ecologist Suzanne Simard discovered a network of fungi underground connecting the roots of trees that relayed information to each other and provided nutrients for young and dying plants. This phenomenon is an embodiment of community. It gives me hope that out of destruction and despair we can grow and thrive.
Sarabel Santos-Negrón (Bayamón, Puerto Rico), "Ordenamiento Silvestre " (Wild Ordering: Going and Return), 42 different photographs of wild plants, 17.83” height x 14.06”, $200., An ongoing project for the arrangement and daily documentation of wild plants that I randomly select and isolate as an exercise of meditation and reflection in response to social distancing for the COVID-19 pandemic.
With this I seek to make a catalogue and a calendar of leaves, with which I keep memory of the pass of time, the fragility of life and the change of an organism when it is separated from its natural state.
Sarabel Santos-Negrón (Bayamón, Puerto Rico), "Ordenamiento Silvestre " (Wild Ordering: Going and Return), 42 different photographs of wild plants, 17.83” height x 14.06”, $200., An ongoing project for the arrangement and daily documentation of wild plants that I randomly select and isolate as an exercise of meditation and reflection in response to social distancing for the COVID-19 pandemic.
With this I seek to make a catalogue and a calendar of leaves, with which I keep memory of the pass of time, the fragility of life and the change of an organism when it is separated from its natural state.
Bunny California (San Francisco, CA), Guardian Lions (1 of 3), collage of my photos, NFS. During COVID-19, I've still been taking daily walks for sunlight and fresh air. I've been giving people a wide berth of at least six feet. There's also been much less foot traffic and vehicle traffic. Walking in nearby neighborhoods, I've noticed the statues of animals that people place on either side of entryways to buildings and homes-- ranging from classic lions, to kitsch flamingos, to stone horses, dogs, and owls, to planters shaped like pigs, frogs, and rabbits. Much of this might trace back to the statues of guardian lions first used in Asia and in Europe. They were symbols of protection and of positive power. As we shelter-in-place, and the streets become more quiet, these statues still have a presence. These guardian animals can give us an intuitive morale boost, as they watch over our homes, our neighborhoods, our cities, our communities.
Bunny California (San Francisco, CA), "Guardian Lions (2 of 3)", collage of my photos, NFS
During COVID-19, I've still been taking daily walks for sunlight and fresh air. I've been giving people a wide berth of at least six feet. There's also been much less foot traffic and vehicle traffic. Walking in nearby neighborhoods, I've noticed the statues of animals that people place on either side of entryways to buildings and homes-- ranging from classic lions, to kitsch flamingos, to stone horses, dogs, and owls, to planters shaped like pigs, frogs, and rabbits. Much of this might trace back to the statues of guardian lions first used in Asia and in Europe. They were symbols of protection and of positive power. As we shelter-in-place, and the streets become more quiet, these statues still have a presence. These guardian animals can give us an intuitive morale boost, as they watch over our homes, our neighborhoods, our cities, our communities.
Bunny California (San Francisco, CA), "Guardian Lions (3 of 3)", collage of my photos, NFS
During COVID-19, I've still been taking daily walks for sunlight and fresh air. I've been giving people a wide berth of at least six feet. There's also been much less foot traffic and vehicle traffic. Walking in nearby neighborhoods, I've noticed the statues of animals that people place on either side of entryways to buildings and homes-- ranging from classic lions, to kitsch flamingos, to stone horses, dogs, and owls, to planters shaped like pigs, frogs, and rabbits. Much of this might trace back to the statues of guardian lions first used in Asia and in Europe. They were symbols of protection and of positive power. As we shelter-in-place, and the streets become more quiet, these statues still have a presence. These guardian animals can give us an intuitive morale boost, as they watch over our homes, our neighborhoods, our cities, our communities.
Ashley Porter (Oroville CA), "Confinement or Growth?", photograph/photoshop. NFS. My garden has been where I have been spending most of my spare time since this all began. I created two raised beds with many veg and fruits and it has been a labor of love. Being out of doors, moving earth and watching my plants grow is a very large part of how I am navigating through this crisis. Being in my garden quiets my mind and I often just sit or stand somewhere around our place and just admire it. While I am confined to my home, that does not restrain my ability to grow. My garden is wonderful proof of this.
Christine Sloan Stoddard (Brooklyn, NY). "Spring 2020, watercolor & ink, 12"x9", $250.
Caroline Witthohn (Villanova, Pa), "Thankful Digital Composite", The window on this door is at my father's house.
My father (91) has COPD and my son Asthma.
I have been with my father at his house. My son is at home with his father and our dog.
I have a screw in my tire.
I miss my rescue dog and the birds flying around my garden.
Anna Xu (Oakland, Ca), "Looking Through The Window", pastel, 9x 12", $20. My experience during COVID-19 has been a reflection on priorities. I've been rethinking what progress and humanity mean. In this piece, I'm looking through the window and seeing the same view over and over again every day -- hints of society but no one present. During this time, I start to think about how we always keep working but never stop to see the fruits of our labor. I'm using this time now to admire the outside world, even buildings I cannot enter. I look at the happiness of my neighbors, parks and roads I will one day cross again when safe. I think about how, even though it seems as though time has stopped, it actually hasn't. Our routine has stopped, but life still continues even under COVID-19 -- it's just now a different life.
Cris Guenter (Chico, CA), "Window Watchers", oil on canvas, NFS. I have three cats, Rebel, Piper, and Dash. They currently love having their pet human “on demand” 24/7. I think they know something is going on, though. They have been sticking close to home and not venturing too far, even with the nice weather.
Nicolai Larsen
Lisa Freeman-Wood, (Magalia, Ca), "View From the Cave", watercolor, NFS.
My view from my desk, in my studio, in my house. In 2018, for 10 days I did not know if I still had a house, a studio, a desk. The area I lived in was engulfed by the Camp Fire of Paradise, CA. But my house still stands. Some of the trees on our property burned, the houses and forest around us did. I look at the burn marks on tree trunks every day, but I also see new green growth of native peas and volunteer lavender. Life moves forward. This new challenge of Covid 19 and the enforced isolation most of humanity is dealing with, social distancing, does not have to be limiting. As Jerry Saltz wrote in an article on how the coronavirus will transform the art world said,” Creativity was with us in the caves; it’s in every bone in our bodies.” Keeping in touch with the way people are turning to creative endeavors is fascinating, embroidery, baking, reenacting famous paintings, singing, dancing, playing music… forced to turn inward we search for those creative bones we all have. Creativity has been undervalued for a long time. It is going to be a fascinating new world to emerge to when we do finally come out of our caves.
Sarah Skinner (Durham, CA), "Winter in Lassen", acrylic on canvas, 16" x 20", $250. My greatest joy is found in the wild mountains. Lassen Volcanic National Park is one of my favorite spots to visit. In the winter, the park is all but deserted, the perfect place for winter solitude. I had purchased a pair of snowshoes as part of my goal to get in shape and get more active and took a few trips up to the Kohm-Yah-Ma-Nee visitor's center this winter. Little did I know that my last trip in early February would be my last. The world caught on fire, we were locked down, and the park closed for our safety and the safety of those who work there. If I cannot visit, I can at least paint it. I chose to paint the view I witnessed at the turnaround point of my last snowshoe expedition, 2 1-2 miles up the snow-covered park road at the first good vista of Lassen Peak as you come around the eastern flank of Diamond Peak. Tracks in the snow showed that few people came that far. It was a hard hike and one that I am still proud of. The only sounds were the wind and the chickadees. I had been thinking of painting this scene for some time and now seemed like the perfect time, a way to escape the endless cycles of boredom and anxiety that mark this trying time. I'll get back up there when the virus is under control, but for now, painting will do.
Sarah Skinner (Durham, CA), "Manzanita Lake Indoor Plein Air", acrylic on canvas, 8"x 10", $80. Before the world shut down I had been planning to take up plein air painting, that is, painting outdoors from life. With social distancing requirements in place, my plans changed. I painted this from the webcam at Manzanita Lake in Lassen Volcanic National Park on the first day of the statewide lockdown in California, using an "alla prima" (all at once) style.
Marie McKenzie (Ojai, CA), "Sun Rolls In", oil on canvas panel, NFS. I have been working on this painting for the last couple of months during the quarantine and had a hard time getting the feeling of stormy waters across. The water was not choppy enough, I felt very emotional in every decision I was making but it also was not right as it was. I broke through when I ditched my paint brush and picked up my palette knife. I don’t normally paint with a palette knife but in this moment it was cathartic, I “tore” into the paint on the surface without worrying about the results. Finally, the sun broke through the clouds.
Marie McKenzie (Ojai, CA), "On the water", oil on linen, NFS. Created during the quarantine, in early March, this artwork changed a lot over the course of the next month. As more news of the pandemic poured in, so did the waves. In the beginning the painting was of mostly gray fog and ultramarine blue. I slowly introduced prussian blue, transparent yellow and red oxide glazes while also removing areas of dark grays. There is always light, sometimes it is revealed by glazing the layers underneath.
Kelley Yang (Rockville, MD), "A Matter of Time I". These weeks have been restless and I am constantly jittery and irritable. I have told others that maybe I am too self-absorbed since my typical drawings are primarily myself performing an action. I try to capture everyday actions in my drawings, reinterpreted once it is on paper. My color palette has muted, perhaps due to how each passing day feels more repetitive and mundane. My once active lifestyle has been replaced with my pattering around the physical walls that distant me from others. My artwork reflects that. Before the epidemic, I drew with bolder colors and illustrated more dynamic and whimsical scenes. Recently, the scenes are still made up fantasy but depict much more realistic day to day chores, the element of magic has almost completely left the scene.
Kelley Yang (Rockville, MD), "A Matter of Time I". These weeks have been restless and I am constantly jittery and irritable. I have told others that maybe I am too self-absorbed since my typical drawings are primarily myself performing an action. I try to capture everyday actions in my drawings, reinterpreted once it is on paper. My color palette has muted, perhaps due to how each passing day feels more repetitive and mundane. My once active lifestyle has been replaced with my pattering around the physical walls that distant me from others. My artwork reflects that. Before the epidemic, I drew with bolder colors and illustrated more dynamic and whimsical scenes. Recently, the scenes are still made up fantasy but depict much more realistic day to day chores, the element of magic has almost completely left the scene.
Lake Newton (Memphis TN), "Objects In Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear(02)", archival pigment print, 50" x 37", $1200. As the COVID virus pandemic lockdown took affect, I migrated my artistic practice from fieldwork to a studio based production. In turn, the subject of my work became more reflective of the current 'lived' environment. I wanted to create a project that utilized symbolic representation of an object that currently defines the social, cultural, political and health concerns we now encounter on a daily basis. Plastic gloves are a ubiquitous tool in our fight against this virus. They are seen in all elements of our limited economic and social interactions, and often end up as detritus littering our streets. On an afternoon in March, I purchased a box of latex gloves from a street seller in downtown Memphis. In normal times, this wouldn't be an object of much regard or value. But I now recognized the inherent symbolism of these forms and set out to create a series of photographs that explored their ability to speak of truth, mistruths, trust in public institutions, our personal role in social exchange, and to a greater extent our participation as humans in a broader, global context. The photographs from the series 'Objects in Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear' is an attempt to visually navigate these particular themes and to provide a personalized reaction to these unprecedented times.
Lake Newton (Memphis TN), "Objects In Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear(01)", archival pigment print, 50" x 37", $1200. As the COVID virus pandemic lockdown took affect, I migrated my artistic practice from fieldwork to a studio based production. In turn, the subject of my work became more reflective of the current 'lived' environment. I wanted to create a project that utilized symbolic representation of an object that currently defines the social, cultural, political and health concerns we now encounter on a daily basis. Plastic gloves are a ubiquitous tool in our fight against this virus. They are seen in all elements of our limited economic and social interactions, and often end up as detritus littering our streets. On an afternoon in March, I purchased a box of latex gloves from a street seller in downtown Memphis. In normal times, this wouldn't be an object of much regard or value. But I now recognized the inherent symbolism of these forms and set out to create a series of photographs that explored their ability to speak of truth, mistruths, trust in public institutions, our personal role in social exchange, and to a greater extent our participation as humans in a broader, global context. The photographs from the series 'Objects in Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear' is an attempt to visually navigate these particular themes and to provide a personalized reaction to these unprecedented times.
Thomas Pickarski (New York, NY), "Masked Figure no. 4", photographic inkjet print, 9"x 18", $495. As a traditional landscape artist, recently I yearned to create a visually stunning yet meaningful installation on the landscape. In my photographic Masked Figure series, a human figure depicting reptilian characteristics is portrayed as both witness and victim to the disappearance of life as we know it.
Fernando Del Rosario (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA), "Aung San Suu Kyi", acrylic on canvas, NFS. Covid-19, global pause of economics, business, events and interactions; historical moments like this happens once, twice maybe three times in our lifetime. The last two times I can compare something similar to this was 9/11 and the crash of 2008. The taste of fear and uncertainty is inescapable. The question is not how I survive or how long can I hunker down? The question is what kind of a difference am I doing when these things happen and how have I elevated myself once we are through this time? One of my favorite quotes is by the extraordinary coach John Wooden. He said, “Don’t Let what you can’t do stop you from doing what you can do.” I chose to look at this quarantine as an opportunity to expand my creativity. To share my creative passion and mindset. To honor Real Heroes and the words they have said to inspire, motivate and empower people. “Darkness can’t drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I chose to paint love not fear during this time that has been gifted to us.
Thomas Pickarski (New York, NY), "Masked Figure no. 4", photographic inkjet print, 9"x 18", $495. As a traditional landscape artist, recently I yearned to create a visually stunning yet meaningful installation on the landscape. In my photographic Masked Figure series, a human figure depicting reptilian characteristics is portrayed as both witness and victim to the disappearance of life as we know it.
Teal Buehler (Hillsboro, OR) "Bouquet of Hope", collage on wood panel, 18x24", $800. This is a view out a window past a beautiful Bouquet of Flowers. It is lonely and hopeful. I work in my garden every day planting, moving things, and digging for hours instead of going out into the world. I started this before COVID-19 for the Portland Rose Festival, which is most likely canceled.
Kathy Triolo (Nevada City CA), "Maelstrom", digital photography, NFS. A photographic depiction of how many feel the media is overplaying the Covid-19 pandemic. There are those who don't believe that it is worth worrying about or believe in distancing for safety and to "flatten the curve".
Ashley Porter (Oroville CA), "Confinement or Growth?", photograph/photoshop. NFS. My garden has been where I have been spending most of my spare time since this all began. I created two raised beds with many veg and fruits and it has been a labor of love. Being out of doors, moving earth and watching my plants grow is a very large part of how I am navigating through this crisis. Being in my garden quiets my mind and I often just sit or stand somewhere around our place and just admire it. While I am confined to my home, that does not restrain my ability to grow. My garden is wonderful proof of this.
Brianna Callaghan (San Marcos, Texas), "Empty Buildings", digital painting, NFS. While sitting in my apartment, all I see are other empty buildings. Some are not empty due to a lack of occupants. I know they must be there. What I’m missing is a visible and trustworthy evidence of life. From the view from my window all I can see is what isn’t there; I don’t see people coming or going, lives continuing, but I can still hear their existence around me in the music, stomping, slamming, and voices. Other apartments I see are truly abandoned, in a college town, students left to go to real homes leaving these empty shells behind. Uncleaned and frozen in time they left when the school closed their doors, a ghost of humanity is leftover in the furniture and trash still on their patios. I wondered this before, but now the question is more pungent, “Which of these empty buildings are still homes and which are truly abandoned?”
Ovoar Artistas Plásticos iLtda. (São Paulo, Brazil) 30x40", "Who rules the world?", digital painting, NFS. Primate or Posmata? Who is this hominid? Owner of himself, sovereign of all, controller of everything? Where does he come from? Why does it exist? He is good? Is he evil? Is he real?
Thomas Valianatos (Corfu, Greece), "Self Portrait 01", generative art. (photo), NFS. This isolation motivated me to rethink many aspects about the outside world as an established structure and triggered me to explore my inner world, struggling express my emotions to an artistic medium like generative art. This photo was taken with Touch Designer software and it is based on geometry feed backs from a web camera.
Kathy Triolo (Nevada City, CA), "No Place To Hide", digital photography, NFS. "This digital Fine Art photo depicts my feelings about how Covid-19 has invaded my life and there is no place to hide. Even if I turn off the news, I still must go food shopping with a mask on and disinfect before I enter my car and home so there is no hiding. The lungs are the central focus of the photo and of Covid-19. Breathing is essential and we are surrounded by bacterial and microbes that enter us with every inhale. The silhouette represents the fact that when I go out into the world, everyone is wearing masks and I can't even recognize friends in the store. We are isolated and yet may be passing each other by within the 6 foot limit. So close yet so alone."
Estefânia Chicalé Galvan (São Paulo, Brazil), "The beat of life... Perfectly ugly or imperfectly beautiful", oil on canvas, NFS.
Protected in the womb until the storm is gone.
Or... in its mother’s arms only while the storm lasts?"
Kristin Bradley (Chico, Ca), Untitled, mixed media on canvas, 4' x 5', $900. Holding a vision that travels with honest movement, I find myself floating through dimensional shifts with the intent of versatility and respect. While remaining firm in my foundation I am consistently in the pursuit of compassion, for all beings.
Estefânia Chicalé Galvan (São Paulo, Brazil), "In the world of the moons", oil canvas, 20"x15", NFS. A wise mature woman lives in the moment to protect herself and hers... It is already her instinct. This strong and feminine being is innate. She knows how to enjoy the silence of this isolation. Right now is providencial, it is Romero strengthen herself, contemplating the moon, and accept the invitation for renewal.
Samantha Vang (Chico, California), "Quarantine", digital art, 2000 x 2800 pixels, NFS. The isolation is nothing to fear, but comfort when you have other things in your life to keep you busy during this quarantine. But to her, this quarantine is no comfort but filled with distress. Students of all ages are required to continue their journey in education inside while COVID-19 swarms the outside world. In this scene, the girl stares into the screen of her laptop solemnly while the outside world brightens; yearning for her presence. Her hands do not reach anywhere on the desk, but silently stares; her desk unorganized, and her body kept still. I wish I could experience the feeling of relief from stress of the events going on between my life and education.
Alyssa Vignone (North Arlington, New Jersey), "Universal Dreams", acrylic and digital art, 16" x 20", $50. I believe isolation can either bring out despair or production. I also believe despair can inspire production; new dreams, taking risks, or uncomfortable changes. What will this despair inspire? How will we change? What risks will we be willing to take?
Bella Lucca (Chico, Ca), "Life Force in Art".
Native Americans view the Pine tree as a symbol of longevity, wisdom & harmony in Nature.
The name pine cone was derived from the pineal gland in the human body whose function is to regulate hormones for sleep.
The scales open temporarily to receive gametophytes, then close during fertilization. The function of the pine cone is to keep the seeds safe.
During this time of Peace & quiet..... I feel myself being held in the loving protection of Mother Nature. I equate it with being held safely like a seed within the pine cone sleeping, waiting for the fertilization process.
When it is time for me to walk gently back into everyday life, I will have been fertilized with Love, Wisdom & Harmony.
Christine Sloan Stoddard (Brooklyn, NY), "Trapped", watercolor & ink, 12"x9", $250. This painting depicts a nurse, a housefly, and a Venus fly trap. During this time, essential workers are making huge sacrifices for our communities. Some of them are being put in harm's way by companies that care more about the bottomline than individuals. This includes some of the managers trying to meet unreasonable company demands instead of thinking carefully about the people they supervise. It also includes the larger economic system—Capitalism—which forces many people to work and make money, even if it is not in their best interest to do so.
BETSY VAN DIE (Rolling Meadows, IL), "What Does This All Mean Anyway?", mixed media shadowbox, NFS. I created this piece in response to a world that has become increasingly challenging in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. My work has always spoken to the random and happenstance nature of life, to some extent. This feeling is amplified tenfold due to the recent state of events. Trying to connect past history with the overwhelming barrage of information in the digital age often feels like an exercise in futility. The world as we know it has been shattered - instead of reveling in the joy of spring, we hide behind closed doors. While the pandemic has tested human resolve beyond comprehension, the world needs art now more than ever - for me, it’s a personal salvation.
Faith Avila (Yuba City CA), "Apart", pen and pencils, NFS. I used a lot of symbolism in my piece about how I’ve been feeling during quarantine. I have online classes and I struggle to focus on them. Being stuck inside makes me zone out and get stuck thinking negatively or stress often. If I could go anywhere right now I would go to my college campus and hangout with my friends.
Anthony Beltz (Yuba City, CA), “Every 18 Months”, graphite pencil, NFS. In times where people did not know much about the world around them, humans often attributed natural occurrences or disasters that are now explained by science to the supernatural, or to the divine. The solar eclipse, in particular, was seen as a herald of doom in many different religions, a rare few even figuring out that it always happened, somewhere, once every eighteen months, hence the title. No matter what the hardship, however, we humans managed to persevere and survive throughout it all. The empty streets, lack of automobiles, and the annular solar eclipse in the background speak together of impending doom coming to all in the world space in which the drawing is situated, wherein not many, if any at all, have survived. In such cases as the story told in the drawing, only one hope would normally remain. In the case of the Coronavirus, it is the pathologists who can develop the vaccine to put this epidemic to a screeching halt.
With the current 2% death rate epidemic known as COVID-19, or the Coronavirus, plaguing the land and causing mass panic, remember that keeping in your current location in isolation will help to slow its spread and contain it as scientists work to develop a vaccine against the lethal threat. Moving to someplace that is supposedly safer when you yourself will be exposed to others and may contract the virus in the process only increases the risk of spreading it to others, especially in different regions, further accelerating the virus’s spread.
Nicholas Campbell (Chico, CA), "Tunnel Vision", charcoal, NFS. The actual view from my window hasn't changed that much, just perhaps a few less neighbors out in their yards. But working at as essential retailer means I’m still going in to work each day. And that is the only place I go each day, so in some ways it feels like the outside world is disappearing. In its place is a tunnel of sorts leading from my door at home to the door at work. It has no other exits, no other ends, only work and home, as the virus and the situation it's caused slowly dismantles anything outside of that for me. The real effect hasn’t been so much an isolation from other people, there are plenty at work, but an isolation of place, a feeling that the world is shrinking down to the two points.
Ovoar Artistas Plásticos iLtda. (São Paulo, Brazil), A paper boat carries a blank message. Look! Look how fast it goes! Look how it crosses oceans without the knowledge of its fragility! Look how it sails without sinking! It orbits in our dreams and innocently survives our worst nightmares. Look! Look how it goes. Regardless of everything, he follows.
Cindy Kornet (Longmeadow, MA), "Souls Rise", acrylic, ink, NFS. I have been creating mixed media art for the past 50 years!! I just retired from teaching art K-8 in a private day school. I am inspired by abstract expressionism, impressionism, the environment, my heritage and my emotions. As I was sitting by the window, I was thinking about all of the souls who lost their physical lives to COVID-19. So many souls were rising to heaven at the same time. I have been pondering what that must be like. After some trial and error, this is the image that appeared.
Edward-Victor Sanchez (Vega Alta, Puerto Rico), "Otoño en Primavera", photograph, 12" x 10", $175. "As this unique period of time unfolded, with the notion that enclosed, surrounded, confined, within these walls I was safer; while my body was inside, I let my mind and my art wonder free, “outside”. Upon their return I painted landscapes, sunrises and sunsets and I felt physically free as well…
As the Puerto Rican lockdown advanced (40+ days), the paintings became a cathartic exercise or a metaphor of what I was feeling.
Katherine Leung (San Jose, CA), "Selfie", acrylic on canvas, NFS. During the quarantine, women around the world provide a window into their world through posting selfies on social media. The ability to have flattering photos taken of oneself is privilege – with class, social, and cultural implications, dating back to the origin of portraiture. Selfies are emblematic of the early 2000’s rapid growth in social media and smart phones. To take a Selfie is to take back that power, especially for individuals marginalized by society. The artist recreates mirror selfies taken by sex-workers and self-positive females from various online platforms that have fallen under the radar of April 2018 US Senate and House bill SESTA/FOSTA. Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (SESTA) and Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA) claims to punish traffickers, instead creates obstacles for legitimate online business, making it harder for consensual sex workers to make a living. Others argue it threatens online speech. The repercussions of SESTA/FOSTA are felt today in many online communities such as Backpage, Instagram, Facebook, and Tumblr.
Consensual nude mirror selfies are continually censored or removed without the poster’s permission, revealing the hypocrisy of “free speech” in the US. Selfies and self expression is power. It is also a means to an end for sex workers.
Dismissal of “frivolous” trends such as Selfies reveal deeper societal contempt for women. In these paintings, the artist praises the bravery of loving, accepting, and at times, monetizing, one’s body in the age of social media.
Katherine Leung (San Jose, CA), "Selfie", acrylic on canvas, NFS. Asana is made up of bodily positions intertwined with balance and breathing. The study of asana has helped thousands of displaced individuals ground themselves, reflect, and meditate. It is especially important to ground oneself during these tumultuous times. The artist has recreated a photo of herself in King Pigeon Pose also known as Eka Pada Rajakapotasana. This is a practice that allows the artist to see into her inner world through movement and meditation.
Johanna Porter (Issaquah, WA), "The Visitation, mixed-media digital drawing, NFS. "The Visitation" was drawn during my coronavirus isolation in Seattle, WA, my new hometown. As social life here came to a standstill and the internet attempts to fill in gaps of companionship, I find myself gazing outside every day. Here I witness the unfolding of nature's dramas- spring is in full force, hummingbirds zoom overhead and flowers continue to bloom. I find comfort in the creative life-force outside my door. It washes away the colorless and empty feelings of isolation and brings me into the now.
Johanna Porter (Issaquah, WA), "The Visitation, mixed-media digital drawing, NFS. "Let's Dance" is a sentimental return to the joy of human contact. Meeting a complete stranger, dancing together into the night and emerging into a romantic relationship. A not-so-distant fantasy of a time when this could happen without worry of being exposed to a life-threatening disease. Coronavirus has made this simplest of human pleasures into a fantasy for most of us.
Carol Radsprecher (Brooklyn, NY), "As If ", Inkjet print drawn and colored in Photoshop, NFS. This represents my apartment building and me.
Cindy Kornet (Longmeadow, MA), "Family Picnic", acrylic, ink, NFS. A mountain of souls. So many elderly in our community from the soldiers home and JGS passed, it was heartbreaking. I transformed my sadness into this piece as I wondered what heaven would be like so many souls were arriving at the same time. I believe that others were welcoming and helping and peace was still prevailing.
Cindy Kornet (Longmeadow, MA), "Feeding the Ducks", acrylic, ink, NFS. A family can put on masks, go to the park or their own backyard and have a wholesome family activity. It is so important to maintain peace, balance and homeostasis at this time. Being outside in nature and engaging with love is crucial to our wellbeing.
Patti Lloyd, "Ripple Effect", acrylic on canvas, NFS. I am observing the ripple effect during this current pandemic and lockdown. We are learning how interconnected we really are, rather ironic as we face isolation and realize more than ever our need for one another. To be open to the perspective of all and not get trapped in single minded thinking gains value as we look ahead. We make each other laugh, we support and serve each other, we feel the surge of acceptance and celebrate a new heart opening; this is the ripple effect I believe in as we reawaken.
