Tag Archives: coronavirus

Isolation in the age of COVID-19

Edward Hopper, Morning Light with Bob the SquirrelIsolation in the age of COVID-19

No other artist (in my semi-educated opinion) does isolation better than my good friend Edward Hopper.

I created this image of Bob this morning and realized we’re probably all feeling a little Edward Hopper at the moment… we don’t know how long it’s going to last either. Unlike Hopper’s characters, we’ll eventually get to leave our paintings… but what the other side of the canvas will look like is anyone’s guess.

I feel bad for my daughter… her senior year of high school curtailed by a pandemic she had nothing to do with. Things like her graduation ceremony…which, aren’t exactly cancelled… but aren’t exactly set in stone either. I hope after all the pissed off feelings subside she, and her generation, become stronger for dealing with it.

The lemonade made from the lemons they have will have an interesting taste to say the least.

I’ve depicted my family in a Hopper work before… but for the next series of images, I’m going to depict each member of my family individually in a Hopper work…because like I said… we’re all in a Hopper painting at the moment.

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What COVID-19 is and how to stay safe

It’s good to knoCOVID-19 Coronavirus - description, safety and preventionw what you’re up against… Here’s a short panel about what COVID-19 is and what you can do to stay safe from it.

Squirrels have a tendency to make things a bit more easy to digest so I thought I’d throw together a basic panel of facts (and a splash of humor). Bob learning that he too could become a participant in this thing was really the spark for this… but I also wanted to explain.

How could I make this whole scary, world-wide situation a bit easier to understand for children. Sure, most are off of school, but do the smaller kids really know WHY they’re not in school? I could’ve made a book about this… taking a million points and pairing them down to the vital points is one of the most challenging parts of what I do.

Nearly all of our lives have been affected by this virus. And even though the things in this panel were probably taught to you before or in pre-school, it’s always good to have a logical reminder.  Make sure you wipe everything down… when this is all over, maybe some of these habits will make you post-Coronavirus a bit more healthier.

 

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Uncertainty…and other stuff

Certainly uncertain

Uncertainty is the only certain concept we have right now.

The Coronavirus has touched (figuratively and literally) virtually every aspect of life.  Not just a certain section of life or area, ALL LIFE. When was the last time everyone in the world had the same thing in common?

If you have an example, please let me know.

I’m scared. Terrified actually. I’m not ashamed to admit it. This is scary. This is disruptive. And… it’s taking a lot of effort telling myself  it will pass. Life will be weird for a few weeks, but it will pass.

Hopefully…

That being said, I’m afraid to touch anything. I hear a cough and I seek shelter. We have toilet paper but I STILL don’t understand why that was (and is) the number one panic buy of 2020.

I, like millions of others, have a lot to lose. I suppose my anxiety (I’ve always been a bit high strung) is in overdrive simply because I’m older and I do have so much to lose. THat’s not to say someone young couldn’t feel as I do… but it’s just… real.  Really real. So much of my time is spent with the “less” real which makes the REAL real all the more real.

I’m just being honest. Being real. the few hours a day I get to make art, specifically these family portraits, are the best part of the day. I can turn my thoughts and brain off and let muscle memory do what I was trained to do. Today’s Alan Bean piece is one I’ve had in mind for a while. Great artist and great guy. If you didn’t know who he was, you would’ve never known he was one of only 12 humans to walk on the moon. Hell, he was just as shocked to get that gig as anyone.

Alan Bean was real. If I can get to even the outskirts of his real in my life, well, that’ll be an accomplishment.

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