Art in the Time of COVID 2

​Parks are open and there is talk of slowly lifting lockdowns in certain sectors. Will the WAG continue to function as before? We don’t know, but artists and gallery administrators are getting creative online and at home. Following is the second in a series that allows instructors and artists associated with the gallery to shed light, in their own words, on how they are adapting.

​GARY BARNETT (Solo exhibition, August 2018; Honourable Mention, Juried Exhibition, July 2018)
     “I’ve been staying true to my concept of using chemistry and energy, as opposed to traditional painting tools, to control the application of acrylic paint. I still add paint thinner, silicone and Floetrol, which determine how the paint will move. But I’ve been experimenting with different ways to physically move the paint around a surface using chains, strings, forced air and balloons. I’m also exploring new ways of pouring, as well as continuing my traditional style of dragging the paint with strips of plastic and paper. 
     “For many years I’ve been focussed on pure abstract expressionism, using basic principles of nature and aesthetics as the foundation of my compositions. In my work I believe the paint is the subject. Now I’m transitioning to figurative subjects--plants, flowers and landscapes--using the new pouring and dragging techniques. My paintings are moving in new directions while staying true to my concept of creating art the way nature does (Day at the Beach, Poppies in the Wind).
     “I don't believe that my work habits have changed much due to the situation we are now in. I think I have always been very isolated while working. If anything, I find I have more creative energy and now have more time to create. I am, however, having a hard time getting certain art supplies. Luckily I was well stocked with paint and canvas before this all started. 
     “I'm actually a website developer, so I've just set up a new online store where I can sell my paintings and also canvas prints of my floral paintings. I had a store before but didn't sell much. I think, given the situation now, the time might be right.”

CATHARINA BREEDYK LAW (TIFAA group exhibition, March 2018)
     “I had been teaching drawing to a senior’s group that was part of 50 Plus, which offers activities in this area. With the help of one of my students I set up a Facebook group called Art Play. It allows me to share drawing worksheets with anyone who would like to play with art materials. Everyone is welcome, we share and encourage each other, and we hone our skills. I post twice a week, which keeps my head in the game, gives me purpose and helps me develop new ideas for my own work. We now have 85 members. The whole idea is that we are Alone Together.”
     “I had also been teaching children every couple of weeks. Now, twice a week for about an hour, using FaceTime, I demonstrate simple activities, we chat, and the kids practice their skills. They are on an iPad and I am on an iPhone. Lots of fun. I am not able to visit my little grandson, as he is in Toronto, but having some kids in my life is great.
     “Once a week I join other members of my TIFAA group to have a paint-in from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. We work and share what we are doing on Messenger.
     “These ways of connecting through art have really helped to get my creative juices flowing again. I am painting pretty much every day--Time, Summer Tree (in progress). Projects that were started months ago are now nearing completion. For me, a daily routine, which also includes self care, is essential. 
     “First there is hope and then you see a future. It may be different from the one you first thought it would be, but there is a future out there for all of us.”

MARY LOU JAANSALU (Solo exhibition, February 2019)
     “I’ve been living in Brussels since July 2019. The COVID lockdown started here in mid-March, and once my family settled into a routine, the time came for me to focus on my studio practice. I decided to build momentum by experimenting with some materials I want to use more.  And I decided to explore subject matter I don't usually work with, so that I would have no expectations. Inspired by the blossoms that were emerging, especially the Star Magnolias, I created multiple renditions of these flowers in a few different media. My next set will be in acrylic, but I must wait for the delivery of a paint order. I was unhappy to discover that many of my paints had dried up since the move.
     “Being restricted in my trips to the art supply store is a small annoyance. More importantly, I very much miss my visits to galleries and museums, as well as other outings, which were becoming part of my routine. Last fall I started a life drawing class with an instructor educated at the Beaux-Arts in Paris. He had me working in a way I was not used to—small, about letter size, with an emphasis on close observation and getting the entire figure on one small page. Of course, that class has stopped too.
     “I know that the move, along with all my experiences in Belgium, are propelling me toward my next big project. I haven’t quite formulated it yet.  I’m hopeful that the momentum of the COVID-19 studio practice will keep me moving in a positive artistic direction once we are allowed to get out more. I also foresee myself establishing a web presence some time in the future.”

MARK WILLIAM LAUNDRY (Solo exhibition, October 2017)
     “This February I completed what I call “the purple one.” I haven’t given it a clever name yet. It’s the first work with curved panels. Just before I stopped going to my shared studio space this March I was working on another curved-panel piece. It’s patiently awaiting my return to the studio to be completed.
     “The works in my show from 2017 were based on the idea of arranging multiple panels, all with the same design, in a grid to generate a secondary design. This secondary, or overall, design was not preconceived. It could change depending on the arrangement. The only thing I planned was the design of an individual panel. I made sketches to see if a panel design worked. Some didn’t.
     “My new works continue the same idea, but the grid has become less rigid, and the panels have changed shape, both in two and three dimensions. Because it’s hard to sketch a three-dimensional panel, I’ve had to rely on experience to decide if a panel design will work when repeated in a grid.
     “The multi-panel works I’ve been doing for the past several years require the use of power tools and many visits to stores to buy supplies. Recent self-isolating has put an end to both these activities. No longer constructing, I’ve been reduced to sketching. I’ve returned to the fixed grid with rectangular panels . What I can do is play more with colour. 
     “The upside to the current situation is that I get a break from going compulsively to the studio every day. Another upside is that I get the chance to reset my ‘inner gestalt’ as it pertains to my recent works. When I do return to the studio, I’m sure I’ll see them in a new way and hopefully see more possibilities for new works.”

ANDRÉE LÉVESQUE (Solo exhibition January 2018 and September 2019)
     “I am making more art now because, apart from my daily drawings, I often make paintings of these drawings. It is easy working at home because I am accustomed to being housebound—I have no car and few friends. I watch the birds a lot. They are my life-line. 
     “I post my daily drawings on Facebook and get some feedback. Sometimes I sell a couple of pieces.
     “Courage.”

NANCY STEELE 
(KSOA instructor; Honourable Mention, Juried Exhibitions, July 2018, July 2019; Winner, Paint the Town, December 2018)
     “A painting that I am working on now is called Porch Party. It’s a collection of musicians playing at Chris Brown’s Wolfe Island Records studio in Marysville on Wolfe Island. These are musicians that I have sketched many times and people that I know and whose work I greatly admire. What is different for me, because of isolation, is that I am using visual references from recorded videos that I have been able to find on the Internet. What I am finding fun is that I can paint from these recordings and at the same time listen to the musicians on my CD player. I am being drawn to work on portraits of people that I am missing now in my life because of COVID-19. I am also intrigued by the play of several opposing perspectives in one painting. The canvas size, 12” x 36”, allows me to explore this. 
     “As always, getting my work completed and out to people interested in viewing it, seems to be my constant mantra, especially during the time of COVID restrictions.”