Hello <<First Name>>, My warmest greetings to everyone in this challenging time, when our routines and plans are drastically altered by the pandemic, and our consciences are confronted with simmering protests against institutional racial injustice. I hope that you, your loved ones, and your communities remain strong and will come through this difficult time with redoubled vitality and strength. During this uncertainty and sometimes fearful time, like many of you, I have been comforted by visual and performing arts, by realistic or fantastical books, and my appreciation for arts only grew stronger. Since early March, as galleries canceling exhibitions, studio visits being postponed, I embarked on an unexpected "residency" and had been working on a series of paintings and drawings, which often comment on not only our isolation and trepidation but also our resilience and hope. One of these works was an oil painting depicting a lone egret in marshland, Expectation in Marshland, which aspired to capture the isolation we all experience now, though somehow the quiet nature provided some comfort. 
A very topical dyptch, titled 19, depicted a man and a women, behind masks, flashing their fear and determination: 
Yet, it is not always so dark and gloomy. What we could draw strength from is the wonderful spring and summer blooms surrounding us, and our cherished memories from the past, as reflected in my gouache painting, Spring in Memory: 
Defiantly, at the beginning of the pandemic, I made an abstract pastel drawing, tapping into the colors sometimes used to illustrate the feared Coronavirus, created a ray of light zipping through the confinement, anticipating our eventual out-maneuvering the contagion. This drawing was called Hope: 
The one last painting I want to share with you is my 2018 piece, The Wall — a protest piece against police brutality and racial injustice, featuring the slain Michael Brown. Sadly, a few years later, we had witnessed many more brutal extrajudicial killings of black people, and I am deeply moved by the collective repudiation of such injustice and the demand for change, from all stripes of society. 
The unexpected sheltering-in and the recent social unrest forced me to reflect; though physically isolated, I felt that I am connected with my communities more than ever. I am grateful for my health, for the wellbeing of my family, friends, and warm circles like this one. I wish you, your loved ones, and your communities remain healthy, strong, and connected. Sincerely, |
       
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