This Side Up
Watercolors about the pandemic
When we began the shelter-in-place in March I was extremely vigilant and afraid to go anywhere. Since I was not receiving much stimulation from the outside world I looked around my home. I began by painting pandemic items such as a mask and hand sanitizer. When I painted the first box from an online delivery I realized that this was a subject that I wanted to explore further.
Boxes and packages arrived almost daily with everything from books, to medications and household supplies. The boxes piled up and I felt as if they were one of my connections to the world outside.
I became interested in the boxes themselves as still life. In a formal sense, I am fascinated by all the information such as rules and regulations displayed on them, as well as stickers and tape and the occasional pop of color. I only paint boxes that have traveled and show wear from the journey. The fact that they are all empty was not important because my focus is the packaging and not the contents.
In spite of the mundane nature of the items, I see beauty. As I paint I am discovering new ways to portray the subject. I am continuing this exploration and find it gets more interesting with each unique package that I paint.