Covid Cells

From the Artist: Inspired by watching the news every morning during lockdown I used an old shadow box (I found cleaning out my attic) to create my impressions of what was happening. The idea being that each square was a look into a window of an apartment building. There rainbows, a telescope, a news reporter working from home with no pants, photographing the streets, a tic toc dancer, cleaning out a closet, homeschooling a child in wheelchair, cooling bread, yoga, a new puppy, reading, leaving the apt with a mask, zoom visit, in bed watching TV, lifting weights wearing a Black Lives Matter T-shirt, jigsaw puzzling and spraying groceries. Several musicians play and a person bangs a lid with a spoon to honor the essential workers and entertain from their balconies. A man is pouring wine for his neighbor in a budding romance. An empty apt is marked with a note to the doorman, asking him to water plants as the tenets have left the country.

The process of making this piece occupied my mind in a creative way, helping me to process what was happening. By keeping busy, figuring out how to portray each idea, I didn’t feel as trapped. I had been using the time to clean out closets and other home improvements. Now I belong to an art salon that meets via Zoom. We share projects with one another. This one left me a little sad when done. I quickly recovered as the weather improved and I started other projects.