Shelter in place

Shelter in Place

Social distancing, wash your hands often, masks on faces and uncrowded spaces, curbside pick-up. Familiar to all of us. New routines. New habits. Every day I find myself so grateful to be living in Vermont and living in a caring community.

My apartment became a sanctuary- a safe place for work and living. My views are rooftops, chimneys, steeples and trees, and inches away from me and my morning coffee, my newly installed bird feeder opened up a world with chatter and singing. Observation and identification of these daily visitors throughout the seasons, warmed my heart. The window became symbolic in so many ways. My perch. The moment became the place to be.

My studio practice, my art-making became a touchstone to process my thoughts, my anxiety and to try and make sense of it all. My sketch books filled up with daily collages that range from what I see out the window in that moment to the shortage on toilet paper. I found solace in the meditative practice of stitching by hand on paper.