The Pandemic Lens^®

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.…

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…

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…

I’m continuing to paint through my quarantine, hopeful that the vaccine will give me the keys to freedom in the new year. Here’s another sampling of pieces from previous days. Day 180 Conformity is a modern suburban landscape I painted to celebrate my stint of sheltering-in-place.   Day 195 Double Dutch. The simple joys of childhood…

In 2020, my studio became the only place I could escape the stress of the pandemic. I’d paint joy for hours, often beach cottages and sweeping ocean views. I’d forget about the troubled world outside my door. Then came the George Floyd murder in late May. My emotional response drew me back to my studio…

A year ago, my husband and I were preparing to move from Massachusetts to Maine. I was organizing my painting studio in preparation for closing it, visiting with friends for holiday parties, and finalizing last-minute details for my daughter’s wedding. It all seems a very long time ago. Now, settling into our new home near…

As we slog through these long months of Covid and, now, the darkest time of the year when the ancient fear that the sun will disappear forever still lurks in some part of our brains, I am nonetheless reminded that everything can change—in a split second.     The text that says a grandchild has…

For a week near the end of September, my husband and I escaped to outer Cape Cod (see my previous post, The Getaway, Part 1).  While walking in marshes, woods and on beaches, there were many times—seconds, minutes, maybe even an hour—of not thinking about the pandemic, job hunting, and related worries. One of our…