"Because of the closing of Whiting Mills, I was not able to continue painting in encaustic, selling from my gallery or other galleries, or teaching classes and workshops. I pivoted from a 900 square foot studio equipped with all kinds of media, tools, easels, etc. to my kitchen table. To express what I was experiencing and observing, I began daily drawings. Since the last series of paintings I had been working on centered on the quirky postures of crows, I used crows to convey my daily experiences. I’d post them on Facebook and soon had people telling me “don’t quit drawing, I need these.” Just before my surgery, (when the series ended), I saw that I had created a document of 70+ drawings, illustrating things like “Too Late", the story of my grocery shopping that day, or sewing masks, or a Zoom meeting. My plan is to create a book from these sketches. I had not set out to make a book or to continue observing crows; this was my response to the pandemic quarantine and the social unrest."  

"To other artists, you’re NOT in normal times. Adjust, convert to another media or find a way to continue to lead a creative life. That’s all you can do. Don’t push the river, and sharpen your skills."

"I really hate to throw things out, and a new series I’m beginning is focused on using recycled materials. When my favorite coffee mug fell and broke, I instantly decided to create a work of art out of it, feeling that it related to the times quite well. I had so many things I was juggling at once, and I found this work of art a good way to show how this felt!"

"My advice for other artists is to just carve out time for yourself and create. I finally had to do just that. I didn’t allow myself to keep working, I decided on a time that I had to stop each day and carved out a designated time to create. That sounds easy, but it’s not. I didn’t always get to that. I was trying to give myself some time every day, because honestly, after I created something I felt better."

"I took a some trips over the past 3 years to see the famous ancient caves of Spain and France that have paintings and engraved figures of animals. When I came home my head was spinning with questions about the human need to create. I decided to imitate some of the figures. I then moved to putting up several random sheets of paper on the wall and imitating drawing on the wall, as if I was an ancient cave artist."

"I have been making the most of my sequestered time by experimenting with materials and techniques. It has been a challenge not to be with other artists, friends, and family for social "recharging." I also took an online Master Class with an amazing artist from Belgium - there were people from every continent in the class in the same lock-down situation. Helped me feel as if I was connecting AND making use of a difficult time.

"The artist Corita Kent has a set of rules for artists that helps me whenever I feel uninspired - one rule is "Find a place you trust and then try trusting it for a while." And, "The only rule is work." I just keep trying to show up and work."

"Thank you to the Arts Council for keeping us inspired and informed while we're all staying home."