Red, White, Black and Blue
I uploaded a fraction of the total works I've created during the pandemic, as art has been my one true vice and coping mechanism, and I've created something nearly every single day since COVID-19 hit the US.
Each piece has varying themes, stories, mediums, and purposes, but are united by three things that earmark my experience through the pandemic (1) my desire for escapism (2) the collective societal angst and feeling of obligation to capture the times and (3) the desire to spread joy and give back in small ways.
Red, White, Black and Blue (Mixed media + Oil painting of BLM): with the social unrest, death of George Floyd, protests, and 24/7 news coverage telling polarizing depictions of the starkly unjust reality that has existed for as long as written history, I felt compelled to capture both the images of the times but also make a commentary on our country. While some mistakenly felt the social unrest was abrupt and out of nowhere, I thought the events during 2020 were just holding up a mirror to the American reality. I embedded key faces, moments, and the restless energy of the times through an abstract representation of the American flag to signify the need for us to acknowledge the fabric of this country and what we stand for.
