QUARANTINE is painting number 4 in the Covid series. This piece is the first in a pre-planned sequence. Playtime is over and I am following a more structured plan for this series.
I have three 36 inch square canvases that should be developed together using three concepts: quarantine, vaccine and lockdown. The format of each will be similar, using a wide line to divide the canvas in some way. For QUARANTINE, the line on the right is a stopper…you cannot leave, you cannot continue on, you cannot get to the other side. For VACCINE, or maybe “vaccination”, the line will be to the left, and again, a stopper, to keep the virus from entering. For LOCKDOWN, the line will be horizontal and, again, a stopper…from traveling, from crossing state borders or international borders.
This format is based on a piece I did three or so years ago. As you can see…
the wide vertical band is here, but not as prominent and divisive as in the new work. This piece is hanging in our bedroom, so I see it each day. It just took a while…duh…for it to show me the way. I also intend to use stronger color in my paintings again. I was getting bland and I think that is why I am not excited about the first two paintings in the series and want to rework them.
I am gaining confidence in this series and in my ability to interpret a word in paint on canvas so it has meaning and is visually pleasing to me. I do not want the visual pleasure to be subordinate to the content. I think I am starting to achieve that balance…doesn’t always go that way….so I will enjoy these moments before they get lost in the shuffle….from the studio
studio 18 art 