Nothing is normal.
Covid times have disrupted my normal studio work. Normally, I would be sketching models and working on my abstracted portraits. I would be hard at work refining my visual language as it relates to the space between. But, inviting models to come to my crowded, barely heated, semi-basement, 240 square foot studio for a two hour session of sitting still is off the table, even if masks were on and social distancing maintained.
When the stay at home order first went out over 300 days ago I didn’t panic because I was working on the Alex series and had a second series of sketches I could pull out when I finished. How naive — or uninformed — I was. As the uncertainty of Covid times stretched on, I decided to hold on to my last set of sketches until I saw a realistic end. This week, President Biden told us the truth — six more months. So maybe I’m ready to get back to normal.
But I’ve been painting for the last few months. My working-from-home husband requested an abstract piece to replace the current backdrop to his Zoom meetings. I painted this 24” x 48” piece. It attempts to speak to the times and to my husband. The painting started dark and constrained — static data points interrupting explosions of color. It was harsh. Not what the customer ordered. I kept trying to drag it into a visual universe that I wanted to see. It became lighter and buoyant — dare I say — hopeful. It became crowded with things touching and overlapping. Less isolated. Less alone.
We only have to do this for six more months. By then my studio will be warmer. People will be coming over. I’ll be hard at work filling up the space between. And all will be normal again.