Admittedly it has been hard for myself to continue my work in an environment so different from the studio. That refreshing place of work and solace where I possessed a clear head, has now been replaced by my warm, messy bedroom. A place where my brain seems to attract the fog of procrastination and self-loathing, rather than any sort of motivation.
From this departure to the studio, my brain has also detached its connection to my chosen theme. It seems to be quite difficult for my mind to get back into the state of work I was producing before. As my work revolved around how youth react to chaos, now that I myself and the world around me is in a state of chaos due to COVID-19, I don't really know what to do with myself.
Alas, I have been pushing myself to continue to create work, no matter what I might think of the outcome. One thing I observed at first from this pandemic is the disappearance of toilet paper and hand soap. These everyday appliances have now become the most valuable of prizes to the public. Shops are constantly in low-supply due to the waves of people buying enough toilet rolls between them to create a make- shift mattress.
So, from this reaction, I decided to capture these products in a way that would beautify them and show how much they are sort after at this time.
I started with a toilet roll, placed in front of a warm silk background that would protrude just how angel-like this object was. I used water colour pencils on watercolour paper for this piece and it took all of about 2 days to complete. Though this image is quite harsh through the prominence of the pencil, I actually love the effect it has made, reflecting the power that the roll has during this time. This is my favourite of the two paintings.
The second of this series was created using a bottle of hand soap. This bottle is especially important to my family as we had just bought it after running low due to everyone else buying every last bottle before we had a chance. I love the bright green of this painting, it is like a metaphor for a shining beacon of hope. This affect is then doubles by the darkness of the world behind it and the silk devoid of colour. The bottle shines green onto this world colourless world of sickness and quarantine.
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