Since the lockdown in the UK was announced I have, like millions of others around the country, been working from home. There have been silver linings to the lockdown, a plethora of small pleasures that I took for granted pre-Covid. Looking after my body and diet have been massive for me and consequently I am feeling fit and healthy. I have taken up some very amateur yoga (I don’t even have a matt yet, employing a folded bath towel instead) and this has helped to quell my anxieties and generally make me feel more wholesome and relaxed. I could rant on about the benefits of exercise for me, both physical and mental but I will try to save you!
I have been caring for my house plants. I have a Dracaena deremensis 'Yellow Lime', Ficus and an Aloe Vera. I take pleasure in their slow and steady growth. Their development teaches me not to get carried away day to day and it seems running teaches me the same lesson. You must pace yourself, keep your back straight and shoulders relaxed. Not a bad way of tackling life in general. So I try to learn from these things and apply the lessons learnt to my artistic practice.
My art practice often frustrates me, challenges me, gives me glimpses of joy, pride and makes me question myself. I can feel doubtful and unsure of my discipline. One tool I have been employing recently is to take breaks to stretch and meditate as I touched on above. On returning I inject more objectivity to my painting that is needed for the style I work in. There is this feeling that as you become emotionally attached to the work you produce (inevitable when it takes up your time and head space) you stop being able to see so clearly and under lockdown that ability to be objective takes on more value.
I have been working on two oil paintings, alternating between them from week to week, sometimes every other day. One is a commission I have been excited about for a while. I have been painting on birch plywood for this which has been great. This material was recommended to me by my friend Joshua Rose, an amazing artist/designer/furniture maker and framer for Tate (take a look at his work here loveyourplane.com) . I anticipated the wood being difficult to paint on compared to painting on linen and canvas but was pleasantly surprised with how the painting feels on the primed wood. I love the weight of the panel too, it felt expensive and precious before I started working on it and this touch and feel has informed the way I have treated the work.
The other piece on the easel is a personal work that holds a lot of meaning and sentiment to me. A black and white oil painting on canvas. This painting from a photograph depicts my grandfather sat with friends outside a convenience store in Illinois (probably Kappa) and fits into my long running and established series on his life with focus on the lead up to his service in the US Marine Corps during WWII. The painting will go on to form a diptych for a future exhibition of another image of him only a few years later camped out in the jungle with fellow US Marines somewhere in the South Pacific (pre deployment to Iwo Jima).
Anyway I hope this gives you insight into my thoughts during this uncertain time and I hope you are all keeping as safe and well as is possible in your circumstances. It would be great to hear from you and hear about how you are coping with life in lockdown. The good and the bad.
