Our forty-fourth post of the series, Artists in the Time of Coronavirus includes
Tim McFarlane, Valetta, Kelly Wright, Mo Gerngross, Jeremy Dennis, Jennifer Walrath, and Patricia Ingersoll! 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 300 submissions, so if you haven’t seen yours yet, don’t worry- it is coming, and we can’t wait to post it!]
Tim McFarlane
A few years ago, I had to move my studio into my apartment to keep my art practice sustainable. After a lot of physical and mental adjustments, I’m much more comfortable making work at home in a much smaller space Just in time, it seems, because when the stay-at-home orders came, I was ready.
Like many artists, I had a day job that took up a good chunk of time during the week before the pandemic, so I had no problem with spending more time in the studio.
With everything going on; the sicknesses, deaths and myriad socio-economic issues coming to the fore, the best thing I thought I could do was to continue with painting. It’s one of the main stabilizing forces in my life.
Things have been up and down, as can be expected. Some days, I can go on working for hours at a time and others where all I can do is open the studio door (a former bedroom), look in, turn right around, have a nap and just hang out with my cats. However, amid all of this, I’ve been able to complete three new paintings (reproduced here is The Lot Halfway Down The Block (Shortcut), 2020), new works on paper, update my website and deal with other administrative things that I normally don’t feel that I have time for. That said, I also cherish those days when I’m not physically productive. The time to just think, daydream and contemplate has made living through the pandemic a bit easier. Another good side of life now is that Covid-19 hit hardest during the transition from winter to spring. Experiencing the renewal of nature gives me hope for a different and, hopefully, renewing world as we work towards a vaccine and life beyond (or with?) Covid-19.
Instagram: @timmcfarlaneart
Website: timmcfarlane.com
Valetta
The Corona Virus and the resultant quarantine have left us wondering. As artists, our schedules of up-coming exhibitions are cancelled, on hold, postponed, and we wonder if they will ever actually happen actually instead of virtually. I have time to work, to ponder, to imagine and to finally reach out in creative ways to the cultural community.
My latest series of works in pastel depict the isolation of being trapped within one’s body. An example, Cover Up, hides the figure within layers. As always the viewer is asked to fill in their own story.
I am also asking artists to create postcards which my painting partner, N. Sarangoulis, and I intend to sell to raise money for the cleaning staff at a local hospital. These men and women are unsung heroes during this pandemic. Pictured here is the “Draw to the Right” wall so far. If you wish to participate, contact valettaartist@verizon.net.
Valetta
Kelly Wright
As an artist and art educator, I remind myself and my students that art is a way to speak and communicate when there are no words. We are all at home feeling helpless in the face of this pandemic. It’s not like anything we’ve ever experienced in this lifetime and quite frankly it’s terrifying. We may not be able to change the situation, but we can use it as fuel to create, learn, and come together through artistic expression.
I created this work to highlight and recognize the struggle of healthcare workers in this current situation. I wanted to honor their bravery but also recognize that they’re human beings who are afraid. This work is also from the viewpoint of the patient. Healthcare workers are our heroes and the calming, steady presence that gets us through tough times. However, they are simultaneously the face that ushers in tragedy. With this piece, I aimed to capture this duality while honoring a group of workers who are selflessly keeping us going in a world turned upside down.
Mo Gerngross
This work has been in my head for a few months now and with the shelter in place I have been able to devote time to it and execute the paintings. Art has saved me physically and emotionally many times in my life. Art has certainly saved my mind and soul yet again. Execution of the work offers complete engagement of my mind, full focus. The saturated colors in my work break the dreariness of the rainy days we have been experiencing during this strange and unusual time. I will continue with this series as well as working to complete additional artworks that had been left unfinished due to a busy modern life. I am blessed.
My best to all of you. Keep working!
Mo Gerngross
www.mogerngross.com
Jeremy Dennis
I wanted to share images of works I created for local enjoyment but took documentary photos. These sculptures are miniature freestanding dioramas of tourist destinations throughout the world, along with a symbol of hand-shaking that we can no longer do.
Jennifer Walrath
Until the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, viruses have existed at the periphery of our day-to-day lives. Their molecular world is almost beyond imagination. Humanity has abruptly learned that these objects exist concretely in reality.
For me the anatomy of viruses has always been profoundly interesting and an endless inspiration to my art. The elegant mechanics of their replication amazes me as does their effects on their hosts. Most fascinating is their other-worldly refusal to be parsed into strict categories. Whether they are “living” organisms or “non-living” particles is still debated by scientists.
I was immediately, feverishly obsessed with the novel coronavirus. I am learning everything I can about it’s epidemiology and follow how the pandemic is playing out on different continents and in various diverse cultures. What tempers my zealotry and focuses my worry is that my husband is a necessary worker and in a high risk category.
While I am feeling trapped, I have had time to work on my art during the lockdown. A mix of repetition and obsession tempered with hope keeps me focused.
My aim is to capture through my sculpture the interplay between fascination and creeping dread which holds us all captive during this pandemic. I invite the viewer to look into a minute world: one of my interpretation and populated by nature’s most dangerous designs.
Patricia Ingersoll
Internal and external environments create a strong engagement and impact in my work.
The interrelationship of human struggles and the complexities found in nature bridge my ideations of form, composition, and color. Images of place, from memory, and experiences are integral in making these connections and forming my visual narrative. During the Pandemic risks to all of these issues are intensified in my approach. Taking risks is easier.
