Artist with Bird - Portrait Paintings from the Time of Coronavirus ~ Kathy Tomanec, Ontario, Canada

In the time of covid we see the same face in the mirror, walk and talk in the same way, recognize the same view outside our door, and the same blue sky above. Yet everything is different.

We stay in our houses, wear masks, gloves, clean everything compulsively after we've been out. Doorknobs, light switches, keys, we sing while we wash our hands. And don't, don't, don't touch face.

And then, as more time passes, we lose our practice, bit by bit. We forget to wipe the light switch, we touch our face, walk into a store and our mask lies forgotten on our car seat until we see another person, masked, and we run out to the car to fetch our own.

Why? Why do we gradually lose our safety habits? Because everything looks the same. If covid was visible, if the visual world now looked different, we would be reminded immediately of how we need to live. If covid had turned the sky orange, or if everyone's face was green, those visuals would link to our habits.

The ease with which we can err adds to the fear. Knowing that a simple slip ...

The problem, the anxiety, is everywhere. It is global. Is there no place where one can go to take a holiday?

Kathy Tomanec.

Art Under Quarantine is a global, multi-media platform for creatives. We are diverse and inclusive, and we welcome your offering. If you’d like to join the conversation, email SOUL

You’re Out of What?! Kathy Tomanec, acrylic, 16 x 16”

The Same but Different, Kathy Tomanec, acrylic with crushed eggshells, 11 x 14”

You Said Two Weeks, Kathy Tomanec, acrylic, 12 x 12”

I’ve Got This!, Kathy Tomanec, acrylic, 16 x 16”

Artist with Bird…she slips into her space. Touches brush, colour, the pen and paper, the seductive softness of imagination. The noise fades into nothing. The darkness lifts and flies away.
kathy Tomanec, acrylic with crushed eggshells, 16 x 20”