Abstracts

The global pandemic had an enormous impact on my work. All my exhibitions were cancelled or hung silently in empty galleries. My upcoming artist in residence was changed five times. There was little opportunity to meet others, collaborate with others, or exchange ideas. There was lockdown after lockdown. I missed my friends, my kids, and people. To cope I would go for bike rides alone for hours and hours, sometimes riding 150 km in silence. In the winter, I would cross country ski alone around the trails over and over. It was very difficult, and I was very sad for a long time. During the pandemic, I suffered from a detached retina and needed surgery to fix the vision in my eye. I believe this marked the turning point in my art. Things were slowly getting a bit better with the pandemic during my recovery and I think all the situations combined into a great breakthrough in my painting. After so long, the freedom to connect with others was like heavy weights were lifted from my shoulder. There was finally hope. My abstract work is a diversion from reality, a chance to play and enjoy colour without any confines. Enjoy!

I am working on a series of work inspired by coming out of this pandemic and learning to live in our world again. There are still ups and downs in the future, but it feels like we are learning to dance again. This series of works will look at the humour of everyday life. All the pieces are named after the stuff we can relate to (google maps, looking for my glasses etc.).