The painting Bird On Her Nest best tells the story of my Covid-19 lockdown experience. This mixed-media piece evolved during the months of isolation.
My process began in watercolor. Thickness was built up in watercolor pencil, pastel, India ink, and acrylic. I revisited this painting at least a dozen times, adding layers and depth.
Bird On Her Nest was abstract in its initial form but quickly took its own path. The bird emerged and I embraced her.
With the clarity of vision imparted with the passing of time, I now understand this piece and the story that it tells:
With the arrival of the pandemic life was suddenly chaos, swirling around us like a storm. Fear was in the air. My family was fearful of leaving our home. Afraid to breathe.
Ever present, the will to survive. A nest is built. Food and berries are found. The chaos does not give way, yet I am sustained by the enduring beauty of life and hope, expressed in bright color.
In a search of some kind of control I gave the bird a beak and berries to eat. I gave her feet to stand on and a nest to shelter in.
I revisit Bird On Her Nest because I find myself in a moment of transition, and before I move forward it is helpful to revisit what came before. Watercolors and small works on paper sustained my creativity in 2020. Hello large canvases and messy piles of oil and acrylic paint in 2021. Stay tuned as these paintings emerge. I am excited to share this new series with you in the months ahead.
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