“Madness” is one of many words that could be used to describe the month of March 2020. It didn’t even feel real…are we sure this wasn’t the sequel to the Truman Show? If it was, then we all deserve an Oscar nomination for being part of the production. And let's face it, there were (and still are) so many directors, who really knows who is running the show?
For me, the month started off great!! I turned another year older. My fiancée and I spent a wonderful birthday weekend on 30A. The weather was absolutely perfect. Everyone, especially me, was getting excited for the warmer weather and beach days. But, NO! There was something weird lingering in the background and threatening of change. And did it ever change for us all… I hesitate to mention it by name for fear to giving it more attention, but we all know what I am talking about. Coronavirus!!!
We got blasted by COVID-19 information (and misinformation) from all directions. It came at us so fast that it caused even the most ‘normal’ of folks to go a little nutty. For Pete’s sake, the country sold out of toilet paper! Still don’t understand that one. Eventually, we all had to do the right thing and social distance ourselves for the greater good. For an artist, that gave me an excellent opportunity to draw.
As I look back at my March sketches, my subject matter was all over the place. I went back to my teenage years of drawing hot rods, then back to my roots with NOLA shotgun houses. Heck, I even did a couple satirical cartoons on the media which got a lot of hits on Facebook. Then I threw in some figure studies. I would say my last four drawings of the month best describe my varied thoughts and feelings on the pandemic. From being done with all the doom-and-gloom media, encouraging people to be kind to each other, to let’s hear some good news for a change, being hopeful, yearning to get back outside, and being very tired of the whole situation.
If social distancing has taught me anything, it is to appreciate the small things and my connections with others. When this is all over and we get to emerge back into our daily routines, I sincerely hope we continue to build strong, positive relationships with our families, friends, co-workers, and neighbors. As one friend posted to her Facebook page, “When this is all over, I can’t wait to hug you all!” Agreed.
Click here to check out my March drawings.
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