Art During Covid-19?

Rose Moon Rising
20 x 30 watercolor on Artists Canvas $1350
Completed March 25, 2020

 If an artist is locked up in her studio does she still paint? Yes. But probably not with the necessity of when you are preparing for a show or exhibit or tour. Which gives you space for self-expression; painting what is in your heart and troubling your soul.

A friend reminded me today of where I was last year with my painting and photography as represented by my Angel Fire Studio Tour page. I was getting a lot of attention and sales for my photography. Painting was taking a back stage in my life. But beginning March 11, 2020 and the Covid lock down painting moved forward. I had the time. And I quickly bought up on line any materials I thought I might need in the coming months. Yes, consciously I thought it would be months. But in my subconscious I saw it as an end of things. Something which my mind had been projecting forward with my On the Edge Series which began with the painting below.

On the Edge
30 x 18 Watercolor on Artists Canvas $1350
Completed April 3, 2016

In spite of the bright colors my art for some has always had a dark side. And they will point out the crows or ravens which are in all most all day time paintings. When I was in Alaska decades ago I was told it was illegal to kill ravens because a lot of the Inuits believed they were carriers for the souls of the dead so they could rest before returning to an earth bound existence. On the Edge above was noteworthy because it had no flight of ravens.

End of Day
18 x 26 Watercolor on Artists Canvas $1050
Completed June 4, 2020

When you are not turning out just another view of another mission art goes slower. It spends more easel time while I wait for the spirits to give me direction. Glorious Dawn below began as one of those redo's of a much smaller painting which was just a study. The study sold and I was going to do the full sized one soon. Never seemed to be the time. Too busy out taking photographs but winter as well as Covid keeps me in. And there were rumors of covid in February and it was a dull winter with no photo challenges to I pulled out the drawing for that study of Mesa Arch in Canyonlands and it took over. It may have a positive title but I see it as an earth after the end of time.

Glorious Dawn
16 x 30 Mixed Media on Artists Canvas $1090
Completed February 3, 2020

Artists do not often put in completion dates these days. Photographers do, but some article in an artists' publication said not to do that. It has never been on front. Usually on the back right corner where once framed it was never noticed. I have dates for these works because my camera records the date I took their official portrait. And for this time or end of time it seems important so I have noted it here.

I have a wandering mind and as I was working on the sketch for the painting below I thought maybe all the old dwellings of the ancient ones were not vacated due to rampaging hoards or drought but a pandemic. The western United States has a few like Hantavirus and Bubonic plague. The working title for the painting below was Home of the Lost People. A friend told me that was too dark if I ever wanted it to sell.

Cliff Pueblo: Home of the Lost People
28 x 14 Mixed Media on Artists Canvas $875
Completed April 5, 2020

Sell? Now that is a lost art in this pandemic. And as I prepared to write this blog I came across so much else lost in the time of this pandemic. Like my inventory sheet. And this blog. Last post was in December 2019. Was I waiting and holding my breath for it to go away. No. But I was trying to figure out what the new post covid world would look like.

And I have been working on a new painting. It has been sitting patiently on my easel while I try to ignore it. Working title is Return of the Yei which were spiritual guides for the Dine'. I promise to be better at posting my wanderings here.