Together apART: ...From Home

"Painted plein air during the holiday of Sukkot, the work features a Hasidic family touring the grounds and gardens with their baby strollers. Any kind of activity and socialization had to be conducted outdoors, thus the activity of visiting a farm and painting plein air."

"...during this daunting time, we come across images that speak to us about those perceptions, and simultaneously reveal contrast and hope of renewal."

"The stacking emerged one day while I was feeling quite overwhelmed by my need to paint daily and the 24 seven nature of teaching Pre-K to 8 Art remotely via the internet... Stacking and balancing fruit neatly became a metaphor for the situation we found ourselves in."

"I started my hands-on gardening journey 25 years ago, and in 2020, it was my saving grace."

"On my birthday in June, I received my first camera, a Canon DSLR. Since then, I have been photographing everything around me."

"The houseplants in my Plant Portraits series are the most popular, most liked, most viral trending plants on instagram and other social media platforms...Most “plant influencers” don't stop to think of the ecological issues that put these plants at risk."

"I had tried before to paint at home but never felt I had enough time. I now had the luxury I didn’t think I’d have until semi-retirement years."

"One of my therapeutic outlets was to take nature photo walks, but that came to a halt. I turned my focus to something creative I could do at home: flower photography."

"Fortunately in Westchester, there are many beautiful places to walk safely. When I see something that appeals to me, I take photos. Sometimes I paint them."

"During the pandemic, the Hudson River was a subject that presented itself right out my window."

"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."

"I called my series "Reclaimed Hearts" because I felt like my paintings were letting me reclaim pieces of myself that had gotten lost in the upheaval of the pandemic."

"I found myself living in a small studio apartment and reflecting in my everyday activities: cooking, exercising, watching TV, reading and contemplating the future, in order to make the best of a foreign situation."

"...I have come to realize that my sense of security was an illusion. With my 'Shelter' house I am surrounded by inescapable gaps, overhangs and openings that I must learn to accept and understand."

"The creative process for this series became a conversation between the present and the past. I envisioned my mother’s silhouette as she worked at her simple black Singer sewing machine after designing, cutting, and pinning pattern pieces together."

"My mother traveled all over Europe and Asia expanding her fabric purchases beyond our local fabric store, Aladdin’s, in Eastchester. ...In Silk Threads 1 & 2, the yellow and black represent embroidered robes that my mother bought in China."

"This painting depicts my current bedroom in my family's home, where I have spent most of my time during the Covid-19 pandemic."

"In March of 2020, I was in the city of Luang Prabang, Laos. I felt safe where I was: there were no reported cases of the virus in the country and many individuals were taking precautions...My last day in Luang Prabang was spent at a silk weaving workshop."

"...I’ve found comfort in painting the same subject over and over again. Tying and retying the strands in ways that interest me is one thing I’ve been able to control throughout this unprecedented time. Exploring the landscapes of wool is a safe adventure."

"In this time, social distancing has kept up apart, but we have still found ways to be connected to each other and to the world."

"One morning I saw the sun reflecting off the dirty surface of my iPad that had silently journaled my existence in quarantine over the past week. Long semi-vertical brushstrokes made by my fingers record my journey as I scrolled through news articles."

"Always stuck inside, I was on my phone a lot. In fact, if you checked my screen time, it averaged about 15 hours per day. My parents weren’t happy about these numbers..."

"In a time of isolation, I searched for a way to connect with people...I started making “house portraits” of the homes of friends and family that I would then give to the owner."

"I started drawing regularly for the first time in my adult life. Watching the world slow down also led to my own quieting and an appreciation for buildings and places that have played a role in my life."

"I make this submission to purposefully challenge and expand the definition of “creative works” to include homeschooling, since I consider it one of my most demanding and rewarding creative pursuits."

"I consider it [homeschooling] a collaborative art with my children as co-creators and wish to celebrate their creative minds at work while they learn through play."

"I have been so fortunate. My pandemic experience has been a period of quiet reflection and creativity rather than a story of personal loss."

"I love sculpting with paper. I relish creating three dimensional figures from this fundamentally flat medium. I make my work with craft paper, wooden skewers and hot glue."

"I derive great joy in finding moments of whimsy and absurdity. Paper sculpture has seen me through the stresses of ‘lockdown life’ and I find in this time my work has taken some interesting new directions..."

"Every month I teach a different mixed media art project to members of my Mixed Media Art Membership Group. I encourage them to share their creations online, to support one another, and to make substitutions with the supplies they have on hand."

"Creating whimsical creations in a time of strife and uncertainty was difficult for me, but I forged ahead."

"Since I live only with my husband, I’ve been unable to meet with siblings, nieces, and close friends...These two dolls, “sisters'' represent the connection to family that I hope returns very soon."

"It basically depicts the experience of zoom burnout, a concept that was unheard of before this year. It was drawn to be viewed on a computer screen."