“To submerge oneself in hazy, unsettled waters requires humbleness and a strong heart. Currents may drift you away from what you’re looking for, silencing the inner voice that will guide you through the darkness. But diving against strong currents shouldn’t scare you but give you the certainty that when you reach the shore, you’ll be…
Read More
During the earliest weeks of the pandemic, around the time Governor Baker announced a state of emergency in Massachusetts, I was not thinking too much about my artwork. I had just finished a couple of commissions, and it was an especially busy time at work, where healthcare clients had so many new questions they needed…
Read More
Dear 2021, The anticipation of your arrival has been like holding our collective breath under water. We heralded your coming, not with the usual frenzy of festivities, but with a quiet wonder and hope accompanied by soft whispers in the winter wind. “Things will be better now….” For we come from a time of disappointment…
Read MoreIn March 2020, the pandemic led to a lockdown in the UK, as it did in many countries. Our worlds shrank. Yet, despite the worries, for me there was a silver lining—I became intimately connected with the landscape around the small village where I live in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Every day I would walk along the…
Read More
A small theater selected a work of mine for the drama Tor und Tod by Hugo v. Hofmannsthal. A large-format stage design was created as a background. During theater rehearsals at TheaterLabor TraumGesicht Düsseldorf, inspired by the scenes, more works developed. Then came the performance ban due to the coronavirus pandemic. The stage room stayed…
Read More
In late Februrary, health care workers and lay people alike heard the first inklings of the presence of the COVID-19 virus on the shores of the continental US. Physician groups across social media were sounding the alarm and posting photos of their tired, exhausted faces in states like Washington and Oregon. Affected physicians were providing…
Read More
I ran a small art gallery and studio for eleven years but was forced to close when the pandemic hit. Then, as the days shortened and I dreaded the coming of winter and being stuck indoors, I started sketching outside more. It was revelatory! I felt such a renewed and powerful connection to nature that…
Read More
It’s New Year, a traditional time for review and reassessment for many of us, and I for one am considering the ways in which this new year needs to be remodelled, not so much seeking a return to normal, more about establishing a new normal in light of the emotional impact of the past year.…
Read More
As we say goodbye to 2020, we reflect on all we have lost and all we still hope for. I remembered this painting and felt it captured my thoughts. Like this willow, several of the trees I’ve painted over the years no longer exist. For a while, I thought perhaps I wielded the brush of…
Read More
The turmoil and tumults of the too many tragedies during 2020 will hopefully dissipate during 2021. In Turbulence and Among Fractures, Life Goes On, recently completed, sums up my year, one thankfully tempered by residing in the sublime beauty of Maine. Copyright © 2020 Joanne Tarlin Joanne TarlinJoanne Tarlin paints atmospheric, abstract, and…
Read More