Your Words to Mine

2020, oil on canvas, rope, metal clips, 9 x 10'.

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In a world where face-to-face encounters are no longer the norm, how do we interact?  There have been abrupt changes in how we socialize due to COVID-19 — many prefer virtual meetings over conversations while having a cup of coffee. Virtual screens have replaced eye-to-eye contact, and there is less intimacy between friends, families, and loved ones. Because many interactions have turned virtual, people are less aware of the physical distance that separates us. Whether we are halfway across the globe or in different buildings, when we are in our virtual realm, we are in one place discussing the same topic.  For this piece, multiple canvases represent people who play significant roles in my school life.  Eight feet apart in the installation, the portraits are hung on trees with rope, forming a 9 × 10’ area.  Represented is the physical and psychological distance we are facing in a virtual world.  Positioning in nature adds perspective, allowing the distance between people that can be seen as real and infinite.