The Year of the Hard Look

It's not easy to know where to begin talking about what 2020 has been like for each of us, but here's my thought. It's been years since I had a look at the Birthday Book, a large purple hardcover that assigned a name and descriptor to each day of the year. January 10 was "The Day of the Hard Look." So I propose that we adopt that for the entirety of 2020. We've been asked to take a hard look at our behavior as Americans, at the way we live in the natural world, at the diversity and imbalances in our communities, and at our willingness to do what is best for the common good. In spite of hard questions and the pain and suffering that too many individuals and families are having to bear, I see reasons for hope in the leadership and examples set by people I've come to learn about in the past five months. In the Birthday Book, the corresponding day is April 12, "The Day of Societal Awareness." May we all become more aware and empowered to act.

Way back in April, in the before times, I'd posted images of 5 paintings, each with a different subject or theme that I was considering carrying forward in a new body of work. Since I paint slowly, I've only begun to address the first group of paintings that deal with a peopled landscape. Three paintings are finished, and three or four others are in progress.

Each painting is based on a photo from my family's archives, and each one is chosen because the person photographed seems to offer a message, though I cannot say what that is. Here, Cousin Elizabeth is a work in progress, still unfinished as I write, waiting to deliver her message.