Our twenty-fourth post of the series, Artists in the Time of Coronavirus includes Mikel Elam, Alan Soffer, Karen Hunter McLaughlin, Kaitlyn Rodriguez, Elizabeth Hamilton, Laura Storck, and Virginia Maksymowicz! 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!]
Mikel Elam
I have always been a diligent worker in between maintaining a day job which fortunately for me is also art related. My employment as so many others has been halted until this insane virus can be stopped or at least controlled.
In the meanwhile I have full days in the studio . Alone with my paints and the characters I birth. These images are inspired by humanity . Thoughts about hierarchy and inequalities permeate the layers of paint and form. The redeeming factor as a man of color in a society not always so appreciative of melanin based skin tones is our resilience. The spirit always rises to the top and this is why we remain.
Alan Soffer
MAGIC, MYTH, & MOLARS
I have been extremely busy during this malicious hiatus. My show in Wilmington is negated. My group show in Sarasota is dead in the water. But most importantly the permanent installation of more than 20 works at Temple University’s Dental School is on hold.
The body of work is about science fiction of the past. It is my interpretation of what it might have been like to be a dentist in ancient Egypt. This work was done from 1989 to 1995. However, when Temple U. decided to utilize it in their new building I was honored and reinvigorated. So I proceeded to make a few new pieces as well.OCEANIC ORIGINS is one of those pieces and it speaks to the theory that teeth emerged from the skin or Dermal Plate as scientists call it. This just knocked me out. So I had to create some new work to go back thousands of years from life on the Euphrates river, 3000 BC.
I don’t usually do representational art, but it just happened, and I don’t fight my instincts. I have included a photo of TOOTH BOOTH, which talks about all the mysterious, spiritual approaches to healing in an era that had very little science. It was done 25 years ago. Kind of reminds of fighting the Corona Virus today with no real tools. Yes, we have a lot of knowledge and yet we are still so very vulnerable.
Karen Hunter McLaughlin
I’m not one who moves. Literally. I’ve lived in the same place, more or less, since I was 3. I share my childhood home with the boy I loved at 14. To finance my art practice I worked in commercial print graphics for over 25 years. For the past 3 years I’ve been taking classes with printmaker Nicole Dul who’s work I fell in love with during her residency at Cheltenham Center for the Arts. Until my lessons with Nicole’s I had never taken a traditional, fine-art print making class. It was life changing! I found a voice my work never had.
I’m working from my home studio now, which is press-less. This forced me to take a deep dive into my flat files looking for previous prints to reimagine. I discovered the act of excising parts of my older work to be a creative exercise that fits the moment; slow, careful, deliberate. I miss my regular classes with press access, but I’m finding a creative surge searching for new methods and materials.
My husband (that boy who’s quarantining with me) and I are still, for now, getting along.
Kaitlyn Rodriguez
My name is Kaitlyn Rodriguez I am a young artist who has been affected by everything that has been going on. As a student schooling hasn’t progressed as of yet and having to stay away from some of my closest friends or older family has been hard for me. Personally I’ve been focusing on keeping my mind active and using my art as a way to spread awareness. I started a COVID-19 series showcasing different faces, ages, and mask to spread awareness and to showcase what’s going on around the world right now. As a young artist I hope to grow in my skills and everyday I am learning something new.
Everything has been slow but as of right now I’m just trying to keep myself as active as possible and get my art out there in any way I can and I hope my artwork can impact someone in someway. Feel free to visit and follow me on my Instagram @_katecreatez_
Elizabeth Hamilton
I just had my second child and was already home on unpaid FMLA when they closed everything. Now my three year old son is home with us and I’m very lucky to have the time with both of them. We would have kept our three year old in daycare so that I could get work done from home, but this is surprisingly better. I didn’t realize how much he needs to bond with our new baby just like I do. I wish my husband wasn’t missing it all. He’s a first responder so he’ll keep working. Private Collection is one of my few projects where I can work in 20 minute increments. It features paper plates cut and painted to resemble pieces from the PMA’s collection. I’m not a painter, this is my first time really working with watercolors and i love how my pallet stays good indefinitely.
Laura Storck
During this unequivocally crazy moment in time, I have felt compelled to use every moment of my days with intention. Since recently completing a class learning photo collage, I’ve devoted time daily to create art as if my life depended on it. Perhaps it gives me a semblance of control and calm. I’ve also been driven to continue working on projects that have been in an unfinished state for over 10 years! I terribly miss attending art shows, going to events, seeing friends and meeting new people like crazy. In an uncanny way, I feel that these strange times will serve as a turning point and allow for inspiration and connection for many artists, as well as humankind. Having the optimistic foresight of knowing that these days of isolation will come to an end fills me with hope and excitement for a better future. We are resilient!
website: www.laurastorck.com
Instagram: @laurastorck
Virginia Maksymowicz
I have been in a transitional stage in my artmaking. I retired from my teaching position two years ago and had to vacate the office, studio and storage space that my college provided. Last summer, I was able to move into an appropriate studio at Green Line Workspace on Lancaster Avenue. Since then I’ve been in the slow process of outfitting it. I’ve been able to complete the basic setup but there is still some sheetrocking and vent installation to do. It is no surprise that COVID-19 has thrown a spanner in the works!
My primary medium is sculptural installation using a variety of materials: Hydrostone, Hydrocal FGR, Fiberglass/resin and cast paper. My work links the human body to architecture. I’ve been following a complex visual trail of architectural and figurative elements: caryatids, columns, canephorae, baskets of produce, Corinthian capitals, acanthus, bodies, bones and bread. I’m particularly interested in the metaphorical implications of the human body—especially the female body—placed in the service of structure and architectural ornamentation.
However, since my sculpture studio is still unfinished, and since—as a 68-year-old—I’m supposed to remain in lockdown, I have gravitated towards drawing and photography, both of which I can do at home.
In Kardashian/Bernini I pair Kim Kardashian’s Barbie-like physical proportions with one of Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s Solomonic columns at St. Peter’s Basilica.
Kardashian makes another appearance in Flatten the Curve, a visual meme created for social media.
