Our twenty-fifth (yes, 25th!) post of the series, Artists in the Time of Coronavirus includes Kathy Small, Alla Reznik, Sarah Baptist, Ava Blitz, Barbara Evans, Travis Whiteneck, and Doré Vorum! Thank you for all who submitted! And if you want to participate, send your statement (250 words max) and 2 photos to support@theartblog.org. More details here. Stay safe and stay positive, and come back in the days to come for more “Artists in the Time of Coronavirus.” We have a wonderful community and are so proud of being able to share everyone’s art.
[Note: We have gotten over 250 submissions, so if you haven’t seen yours yet, don’t worry- it is coming, and we can’t wait to post it!]
Kathy Small
I am a self-taught artist in Philadelphia-painting is my passion and sharing beauty teaching others to create it is my passion!
It is a time of uncertainty, that’s for sure. And the danger is ever-present in my everyday as I work as an oncology nurse daily during the week. The weekends and evenings were my time to “create” and to lose myself in “my zone” so to speak, as it was my only “free” time to do so. This was the time I used to create, organize, purchase supplies, prep for shows/teaching events and to itemize ideas so that I could come back to them once I had completed a current project. That hasn’t changed during this crisis as I am mandated to work and care for others daily. The difference now is that those “free” times are that much more precious as I can see creating as a way to keep the anxiety at bay and to be able to express/immerse myself in beauty during this time of unrest. It is a method I use to replenish “me” so that I can go out to care for “you and yours”. “This too shall pass” and in the meantime, I find peace in my craft. This is a time of forced introspection-use it and as this crisis passes through and eventually comes to an end, let us all emerge as our best selves to share with the world! God Bless.
The first image is called “Stripes”-an embellished acrylic pour-a new technique i am falling in love with as I evolve in my craft. (photo taken by myself)
The second picture is of myself sharing the joy of painting as I participate in instructor led paint sessions. I miss this the most! (photo taken by my assistant Paige Dunbar)
Thanking you in advance for this opportunity!
Kathleen Small
Smallxpressions Art Studio LLC
Smallxpressions.com
610-675-6826
Alla Reznik
I began painting in acrylic, but in recent years my focus has been oil. I was attracted to the variety of color spectrum that can be reached with oil paint. My strength is in unique application and layering of paint to achieve volume and texture.
My artwork has been exhibited in Philadelphia and surroundings. I am a recipient of numerous awards and a member of local art communities, including Da Vinci Art Alliance, Main Line Art Center, Wayne Art Center, InLiquid, etc.
For this virtual exhibition I decided to share two of my paintings of Lyon, France. Since most of us won’t be able to travel anytime soon, I thought it would be nice to glance at this beautiful city through artwork.
“Old Telephone” is a scene from one of my beloved restaurants in Lyon called “La Nef Des Fous”.
“Through the Window” is a view from my hotel room in the center of Lyon.Website: www.allareznikart.com
Email: allareznikart@gmail.com
Sarah Baptist
As spring approaches I am usually gearing up for events and also outside painting as I am known for my urban plein air paintings. It is a time of excitement and expectation as my “season” begins.
Covid-19 had definitely put a damper on the excitement factor this Spring. With galleries closed and events cancelled it has been time to get inventive. I have started an indoor series called “Quarantined”, which are small paintings of the interior of my home since we are all cooped up. I am doing much more social media and video as a way to replace my cancelled events…to remain visible…but also to add something pleasant to online rather than just covid19 news.
What can you do to help? Buy art. If paintings don’t sell, I have no income. It’s that simple. All artists are struggling now. We have no unemployment, no paid vacation or sick time.
my website : www.SarahBaptistArt.com
instagram: www.instagram.com/sbaptistart
Ava Blitz
Thanks for the invite ARTBLOG!- I am sending you ‘Flying Carpet’ a glass mosaic I did for the City of Philadelphia 1% Art Program, in the vestibule of the Martin Luther King Older Adult Center. The other, ‘LA’ is from an aerial city series. This was going to be a particularly active exhibition Spring- with group shows at the James Oliver Gallery downtown and at the Delaware Contemporary Museum in Wilmington. Most importantly, however, wishing everyone good health. avablitz@hotmail.com. www.avablitz.net
Barbara Evans
March 21, 2020 Dj D-Nice played music live for over 100k people. I was working on an art piece as I listened to him play music. At this point he was already above 4K viewers. He was extremely excited, because the first night he had only had 200 viewers. I felt this was going to be an historic event, so I switched gears. I decided to document history with an art piece while it happened. Several times throughout the night he switched his hat as he felt the vibe change. He popped bottles of wine and thanked the people that sent him drinks by delivery. In the hours that I listened to him play, I marveled as he shouted out names of celebrities and icons as they entered the invisible club. Janet Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Michelle Obama, Spike Lee, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, Chaka Khan, QuestLove, Black Thought, Mike Tyson and even Oprah. With so many more that could be named. Even politicians popped their heads in for relevance. It felt like we were all on the same level in the same moment. We were all just trying to cope with a difficult and unusual situation. In those hours we all just wanted something that felt normal. Music played by a great dj did just
I took this photo of myself a couple of years ago. I was nervous to share at that time, but I stepped out of my comfort zone. Since that moment I have been living life differently. For years we are the people who we believe our parents want us to be. Sometimes some of us hold on to that spot and never know who we are or what we really want from life. This time in history has completely stripped from many of us the security of “normal”. I feel a certain peace in this time, because I’ve already stripped away my normal. I see a brightness for my future that I can’t explain. All I can do is walk in it and sharpen my tools along the way.
IG: Artbybevans
I’m working on learning to make an app. I would love to do an art show on the other side of this.
Travis Whiteneck
The thing that has changed for me in this surreal time we share (from a distance) is that I am no longer splitting my time between my full time gig as a mover and my nights in the studio. To be perfectly honest, I am getting used to waking up early to have my coffee in the studio before diving in to a nine or ten hour day of painting. It’s nice to have a taste of studio work as my main objective. Unfortunately, it is all due to a pandemic that has gripped the world and will continue for some time.
Be safe. Be smart.-Travis Whiteneck
twhiteneck@gmail.com
IG: @travis_whiteneck
Doré Vorum
During the past few months I was in an artist slump, unable to see or capture imagery of our amazing world. Even when I would scroll through my catalog of images, I felt no inspiration which had me wondering, how I could call myself an artist.
But on a recent trip, I was wandering the streets of Los Angeles, surrounded by amazing architecture, stunning reflections, and the extraordinary Disney Concert Hall (designed by Frank Gehry), and suddenly I was inspired and seeing again. Possibilities were coming back and my camera began to wake…and then…COVID-19, sheltering in place, worrying about toilet paper. Like everyone, I wanted to cover up and hide. Yet even in these dark times, I am finding a way to work through it and even find solace and beauty in making my photographs. There is always a silver lining.
DORÉ VORUM PHOTOGRAPHY
www.DoreVorum.photography
www.instagram.com/DoreVorumPhoto
DoreVorumPhoto@gmail.com
