I was sad and frustrated that I couldn’t do very much to help my mother who was told to shelter in place alone in her apartment for three months. I wanted to try to express her loneliness. I have a small collection of Lalique crystal figurines, and I used them to set up a still life for this painting. The glass reminded me of how fragile life is and I felt that the position of the figures portrayed the loneliness we felt during our isolation. This piece was different for me on several levels. It was both an emotional piece and not my usual subject matter. I wanted to do it on black paper and only had a pad of UArt sanded pastel paper which I had never used before. In the end, creating it was a cathartic exercise.

What is one positive that has come from this experience for you?

I appreciate my health, my family, and my friends even more now. Aside from all the extra creative time, another positive has been getting to see my cousin more often. She lives in Manhattan and enjoys the change of scenery that comes with visiting me in suburbia. We socially distance in my backyard during her visits.

What is one of your favorite pieces in the collection from a fellow artist?