Alumni Voices from the Quarantine Exhibition

The Bells
Mixed traditional and digital media

Untitled: Time in Quarantine 1
Acrylic on canvas

I have admired minimalist artists and color field painters for years. While I have painted abstractly for several years, I was always afraid to make the leap to a more minimal painting style. When the pandemic hit, all my inhibitions left and I decided that I needed to paint what I wanted instead of worrying about what anyone else said or thought of my work. My art during quarantine has been some of my bravest work to date.

Remote
Procreate and Apple pencil on the iPad

Creating coloring pages began as a way for me to check in with myself and process the news around the pandemic. I needed to make time to sit and draw during a time when all routine and normalcy evaporated. This piece reflects how powerless I felt during the early stages of the pandemic. What could one do at the time besides #Tahoe and watch it unfold? The pandemic has taught me to relax the grip on what I thought would happen and really be present with what is happening. Despite the global crisis, there are good things unfolding around us. And maybe because of the global crisis, we are holding those good things even more dear.

Void Fill
Terracotta clay, press molded

The ephemeral installation, Void Fill, describes the vulnerability of a sudden separation from my studio, companions, and routine while transitioning into uncertainty. The title refers both to the act of filling packing materials with clay to use them as molds, and the fact that packing materials are often referred to as “void fill”. The work accurately depicts the degradation of this current dystopian world as it is exposed to the elements and slowly withers away.

Saratoga - Corona Indian
Acrylic on canvas

During the Covid Pandemic, I was approached by the Krewe Of Red Beans in New Orleans. They asked me to paint this portrait of a Mardi Gras Indian for a benefit auction in order to raise relief funds for those affected by the Corona Virus.  

Woman in Red Drapery
Acrylic on canvas

Through the Window
Acrylic on canvas

Carbon Study No. 3
Okawara Japanese paper, goat skin, deer parchment, handmade flax paper, carbon, binders board, wheat starch paste, linen thread, blind tooling

Through my Carbon Study series I seek to abstract form and function by blending the inherently disparate inner and outer layer of the book, challenging what it means to read, and questioning how much of the reading experience is generated by the book object or the critically engaged observer. The reader is invited to discover nuance in tone and form created by the act of alteration and burning, ultimately drawing their own interpretations of meaning. Themes that have emerged while producing this series have included humanity's relationship to the natural world, ecological cycles, and continual transformation.

Put Your Hands Up
Mixed media

Masked First Lady
Conte crayons, graphite pencils, India ink pens, and colored pencils

Kayleen
Oil on canvas

As Covid-19 ravages the world and we are sheltered in place, I have felt despondent and afraid. To alleviate my anxiety I searched for sources of light in my life; I looked to people I admire, people who are strong and resilient, people who are adaptable and kind.

In the Daylight
Acrylic on canvas

Our bodies are remarkable and beautiful and we should celebrate them always. Yet, what I was craving above all during quarantine was genuine human connection: it's not just our bodies at night... it's what we see, feel and do in the daylight that matters most. And it's one of countless reasons why portraiture has remained a constant companion for me.

Reflection
Acrylic on canvas

This time of quarantine looks different for everyone. I want to share a work that expresses the many emotions felt during this period of time.

Peace Like a River
Adobe InDesign/Illustrator

One of Life’s Certainties
April 2020, Digitally Colored Illustration

Rainbow Trout
Acrylic on plywood