1:00 pm • A Badger at the edge of the meadow pokes its head out of its den. The sun is hot but her shady tree is the perfect temperature. Though she is mainly a nocturnal mammal she does enjoy poking her head out to observe the daytime. It has been a long hard winter and spring, and the abundance of food and plant life make this sweet lady happy to have made it through the cold times.
This painting is a true representation of coming out of the pandemic blues. It was a long, difficult year for me, especially for my art. This particular body of work was scheduled to be completed by June 2020 but when the pandemic struck the exhibit was rescheduled for 2021. I had high hopes that there would be a vaccine and a healthier environment come June 2021. After rescheduling in March of 2020 my brain went into a funk. It was hard to work on the art for this show so I chose to give myself a break and moved back to doing commissions. I had so many supportive patrons during that time and learned a whole lot about myself as an artist, by the time I needed to get back to finishing up this work I felt ready.
But the emotional toll of Covid-19, the isolation, the change in creativity, I felt it all. I was able to step out of my funk when I started teaching in person again in October of 2020 I felt a shifting perspective. Kids’ brains are awesome and I find so much inspiration in working with them. Getting that opportunity again made me feel like I was finally feeling the full force of the creative sunshine after months of feeling blue and stagnant while holed up. This piece came to me in a dream and flowed rather quickly onto the canvas.
Featured flora and fauna • Canadian Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly, Large-flowered Bellwort, Badger, Indian Paintbrush
