Quarantine Dreams

I am not one that finds writing particularly easy, especially now in these confusing and difficult times. Words, unlike paint, fail to articulate my experience of the world.

Like many, I have found the adjustment to this new way of life challenging. It is only going to take time to really come to terms with the sudden change we have all been confronted with. Within the confinements of my home in Devon, I have found I have come to a halt in my art practise. With no physical degree show in sight, a cancelled graduation and abandoning my studio in Falmouth, has all left feeling truly lost. I now recognise that finding the motivation to 'do' and 'create' isn't as simple as picking up pen and paper, and if you are like me, then you might have struggled to be as productive as you hoped you would be with the copious amount of time we now have to ourselves. However I think we have to trust the inner power and creativity we have, as artists and as people. To allow this to shine, it is imperative to empathise with the current situation we are all in. Don’t place all your energy on 'I should be doing this' or 'I should be getting on with that', be at one with the present, be kind to yourself and make sure your physical health and mental health are your priority. Whilst productivity might feel at a standstill, creativity is always with you. Always.

Suddenly I find myself in a very different world. Life has come to an abrupt halt. The coronavirus has infected the bodies and minds of people all across the world. It is quite hard to get my head around the colossal scale of this health pandemic where our health and mental spaces are a threat. I am slowly overcoming the shock is has had on my practise and my own sense of being. These last weeks have jolted my perception of the world, my spaces, routines and environments have changed quite dramatically, quite quickly.

I feel it is only natural for my work to change and evolve along with what is going on at the moment. The limitation of space and supplies will inevitably have an impact on the final outcome however as I explore themes of the inside and outside in regards to an open and expansive landscape, the landscapes I explore are now completely different. I am excited to see how this will morph into visual forms in painting and other multi media practises. Due to a limited supply of paint and pigment I will rely on more than just painting as an outsource of creativity. I hope conversations and small mundane tasks of the everyday to make appearances in how I make work and what materials that might evolve.

As soon lockdown hit, Social Media has shown me how people have adapted their time to fulfil their creative roots. It shows how important it is for peoples entertainment and sanity the arts are, whether that be making, baking or watching films (making Tiktoks definitely count too…). For this reason I want to place more emphasis on the process and enjoyment of creating, and the benefit it has within our 'inner landscape'. As I hope to continue to explore themes of Chance and Control, Phenomenology, Landscapes (inside and outside), I can see how they all have already changed within the context of the now. I would like to document that change and shift in meaning for each of these themes and to overlook this development in my paintings.