Frequently I’ve been asked “as an artist, how have you been affected by the pandemic? Has it changed your practice?” Most artists live a solo life in their studios, spending hours of time alone making, trying, striving to move their craft forward. In that regard, not a lot has changed. I am still in my studio every day but the one thing that is different is the lessening of outside distraction. There are no appointments to rush off to or times when a museum visit is scheduled, the days just melt into one another.
The downside for me, with all the solo hours regular studio practice usually includes visits with other artists to talk about work, travel to recharge the creative well, seeing other creative people in their pursuits of dance or music, writers talking of their craft. These pursuits are all ubiquitously missing. The resounding quiet does make it challenging on some days to find the creative thread.
Rather than dwell too long on the hunt for creativity I try to find ways to distract from what’s outside the studio door pressing in. I return to school days exercises like limiting your palette, changing substrates, or playing with color charts to keep the brushes fluid. Almost every time, when it comes to painting, I’m rewarded and I fall in love all over again.
Detail work in progress
color charts/color mixing