The Years of the Pandemic

Artists Statement

The year 2020, which I thought in January was going to be crystal clear and focused, like 20/20 vision, has turned out to be quite different from what was expected.

I have three print pieces; woodcuts using different techniques, that in different ways express feelings associated with the Year of the Pandemic.

A series of twelve separate woodcuts in the piece titles, Pandemic Shuffle, expresses the feeling of a lumbering, awkward clumsiness one experiences when trying to interpret the floor signs indicating where to stand and which direction to go. There is a pattern to the foot movements, simulating a dance, that only return the participant back to the beginning to complete the pattern once again. There is no breaking free of the movement as it goes around and around.

Curtain Twitchers, a reduction woodcut piece, speaks to the feeling of having the eyes of our neighbours on us - critical eyes - judging our actions and prepared to catch us making errors in our mask wearing or body placement decisions and then shooting a critical glance our way so that we know they know we have erred. There is a palpable weight and pressure felt from this steady gaze.

Fault Lines, a woodcut piece printed from one block sawn into three sections, presents different sized elements adjacent to each other with a fault line having cleaved them apart. Each section remains firmly attached to the bedrock behind but there is an implied fall out from this cleaving action. Whether in relationships or established norms, there has been a shift to our collective lives requiring adjustments, including some resulting fall out, but the bedrock keeps us connected and secure.

Into 2021, it is apparent that the Pandemic is to continue. The fluidity of this Pandemic and our requirement to travel through and around this moving target has taxed us all.

‘Chaotic Disorder’ is a solar etching intaglio of a collage piece that presents an accumulation of various signs that were installed during the first year of the Pandemic. Each sign is designed to instruct an individual in how to behave, where to stand, what direction to move and ultimately to stop – no wait - go depending on the location of the sign. The myriad of signs and instructions in order to keep ourselves and each other safe and healthy is important but also it is important to recognize how mentally exhausting it is to decipher the message.

I am hopeful we can all dance the required dance, endure the critics, stay firmly attached to the bedrock and decipher the safety messages that are presented during this unprecedented time in our lives.