Our tenth post of the series, Artists in the Time of Coronavirus includes Jana Anderson, Samuel Shaffer, Nancy Herman, Zoe Lowry, Bob Reinhardt, and Lee Muslin! 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. (We have gotten nearly 200 submissions, so if you haven’t seen yours yet, don’t worry- it is coming, and we can’t wait to post it!)
Jana Anderson
Below is pictured a project I started, finished, and documented today. In this strange time of uncertainty I’ve been quarantine-ing and thinking about internet trends, social responsibility, and structural complexity. My mind is battling between cynicism in institutions and optimism in humanity. There are holes in the plans and foundations of this crisis, and holes in the plans for an uncertain future. I want to protect myself, and I don’t know how. I know the issues are complex and widespread. It’s not just an invisible virus, but invisible systems that at times have control over us and at times lose all sense of sanity. The mask is quickly becoming a symbol during this global pandemic. What it represents seems to be changing as rapidly as the news.
9 days ago I lived in Philadelphia, had 3 jobs, a studio at the Loom, and I was essentially couch surfing at the homes of friends and family. I had been trying to build a life there. All of my jobs went on hold on Friday the 13th, and I had no financial cushion and practically no emotional security in this place I had been trying to make my home. I made a quick decision to drive to my parents house in South Dakota. If I was going to be “locked down”, “sheltered in place” or “quarantined” I knew it couldn’t be at any of the places I had been staying. So now I’m in Sioux Falls, South Dakota for the time being. I don’t know when or if I’ll be able to come back to Philadelphia, but for today I have food and shelter and a sewing machine so I’m luckier than some.
I’m a mixed media artist with a variety of quirky skills and interests. In the coming weeks I could use job opportunities, funds, freelance anything, commissions, and virtual hugs.
www.janaandersonart.com
IG: janderson65
Venmo: Jana-Anderson-119
Samuel Shaffer
As an artist and stay-at-home Dad, I’m pretty used to being home alone and working. These days, of course, my two teenagers are at home and my wife is also working from home. I try not to look at the news too much, and I take an hour-long walk every day.
It’s a little hard to focus on work though. Should I keep working on what I was doing before, or try to make work in response to this in some way?–not sure about that. But I can still get supplies from Blick online, so I guess I’ll just keep on working.
I attach two paintings from the recent series, Smoking Jesus: The prophet is called to his mission, sometimes from the outside—the voice of God, temptation by the devil, or maybe a whale comes along. Sometimes he’s called, willingly. But most often, he’s not really interested. His journey, whether willing or not, is what leads to the revelation, the message that speaks to us.
Please connect with me at sshafferart.com
Stay Safe.
Nancy Herman
I am living with 8 other family members trying to quarantine ourselves against Covid 19 and still have a good time. Why not, it may be a shorter time than we anticipated. I am trying to create a new art work everyday using some old tricks. Since I am 80 I have plenty of old tricks. I have incorporated colors from my “translations of music to color” with faces found in the computer that are as connected as we are in this crazy time. At the same time I am editing videos for my daughter who is making Pilates videos for her clients and planting a vegetable garden with my daughter, granddaughter and great granddaughter. Life is full and the weather is cooperating to bring us an early beautiful spring to lift our spirits.
Here are two examples of my art work and a link to my daughter Ellie’s Pilates videos.
Ellie Herman Pilates
https://vimeo.com/397825013Nancy Herman more Covid 19 art work
http://www.nancyherman.com/new-page-4
Zoe Lowry
Over the past 2 years, I’ve been developing a series of illustrations called “Electric Griot.” A “griot” is a traditional West African storyteller and keeper of oral history, however “Electric Griot” is a term I put together to describe a title that all of us can assume. It is someone who is (becoming) in tune with their electromagnetic existence (just think about how we are naturally affected by electromagnetic frequencies—light, sound, and heat—and how we can find more peace of mind, body, and spirit, if we seek to understand and live in harmony with those responses) and is embracing their own life journey and sharing their story with others to inspire and understand the world around them better.
While the medium for this project has changed over time, the main intention of highlighting people’s power to overcome obstacles and grow stronger from our struggles has stayed the same. Now, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, this series has become more relevant than ever. As many work opportunities have dried up for me indefinitely and I am forced to focus on what matters most in life, I have new inspiration to complete an Electric Griot graphic novel and share it with the world. If my work resonates with you, please find a few ways that you can stay connected below:
www.zoelowry.com
Instagram/Facebook/Twitter: @zoelowrycreates
Art prints and merchandise: www.society6.com/zoelowrycreates
Donations (to support my graphic novel and future work) via Cash App: $ZoeLowry
Inquiries: zoelowrycreates@gmail.com
Bob Reinhardt
I was really honored to get one of my small oils accepted into the upcoming Philadelphia Sketch Club “Small Oils” juried show. Unfortunately, the show was canceled because of our current health crisis. I’m told it may be rescheduled for the Fall.
Regardless, these two small oils were my first reentry into oil paint after over 50 years. For many years I used acrylic, but for the past three years, I’ve been focusing on watercolor. Now that I have a bit of time on my hands I think I will continue along on this journey with the oils and see where it takes me.
Lee Muslin
Luckily, I have a studio in my home, albeit much smaller than my other studio at Spring City Mill Studios. So I have been working on smaller pieces. Without the usual demands of daily life, I find that I have more painting time which makes me very happy. I’m also catching up with a multitude of other tasks. So although a scary time, especially as an older person, it has been good for me in other ways. My painting practice takes me to another place in my mind, a very calming, therapeutic place.
Where I am finding an impact is in exhibitions. Two galleries where I have work on consignment have temporarily closed. Three other shows have been postponed and one other one has been cancelled.
My painting is an improvisational process of experimentation and discovery to bring forth an emotional response. The last painting I finished before leaving my Spring City studio last Monday is “Quiet Solitude.” It can be interpreted many ways, but I think it expresses the plight that many people are feeling right now. The other painting, “Brief Encounter,” is an older painting that sums up our current situation. There can be detrimental results from a brief encounter.
Website: www.LeeMuslin.com
Instagram: @leemuslinfineart
Facebook: LeeMuslinFineArt
