The Influenza Series, 2020–present
It had been many years since I had picked up a brush. Then COVID-19 barreled in to existence, reshaping lives everywhere. One way this pandemic affected me early on was with an inexplicable surge of inspiration that compelled me to paint… in short stretches… long ones… it didn’t matter.
Coronavirus is a type of influenza. A word with 18th century Italian origins that means being “under the influence of the stars,” the flu (like the stars) is nearly imperceptible and resistant to our will, but, nevertheless, has a profound impact on our emotional lives. The abstract landscapes of the Influenza Series honor the frenzy of emotions that one organism can evoke within another.