When life seems to be turned on its ear, as it has with this pandemic, I cling to this practice of expressive art like a life raft. The process of making the art takes precedence over the accomplishment of a masterful outcome. The intuition about what materials and tools to use takes precedence over any kind of well thought out plan or design. The sensation of mark making becomes more important than the mark made. I try to dive in and not come up for air too quickly.
Of course this leads to questions about how to finish. So in this piece even my idea of adding the hands didn’t quite finish it. The blue reminded me of the bluebird couple that sits on the corner of the roof we can see from our dining room table. So I painted one of them and collaged it on. . .then needed the eggs. And finally as I wrote, even a garden scene like this turned out to be about the pandemic. . .in a helpful way.
acrylic inks, gel pen, drawn with a stick, splattered and scumbled on w/c paper, 10 X 11″
We try new ways to live with each other,
with masks and gloves and zooms,
The same fences that keep us in
are those that keep us out.
Nature topples those barriers we make,
finds a way around or between them,
Its winds dry our lonely tears
and sun warms our tender hearts
Birds share their freedom of air travel
without passport, mask, or elaborate protocol.
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