The coronavirus shutdown is inspiring Coast artists to ‘spread some positivity’
“Art thrives in times of uncertainty,” writer Karen Thompson Walker once said, and the statement definitely applies to the many creative individuals along the Gulf Coast as they face the anxieties and uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Their works are a source of consolation for the artist and viewer alike and offer a new way of looking at the world as the world adjusts to a new way of living.
“The anxiety of this event stays with you daily and requires a new kind of attitude adjustment,” said Herb Willey of Bay St. Louis. “I went from painting daily to not painting at all for almost four weeks. My desire to create has overcome my worry about what surprise the new day brings.”
Willey is well-known for his watercolors of outdoor scenes depicting locals enjoying fishing, festivals and the beach. Now his works are devoid of people, as seen in the empty beach chairs in his piece “Don’t Mess with Mother Nature.”
In March, Catie Daniel of Ocean Springs started a series she calls “Beautiful Mundane.”
“It’s a lot about noticing the everyday ordinary things, some within motherhood but also as a person observing the world around me, recognizing the beauty in the little things,” she said of works such as “Found on a Walk.”
She also just completed a mural for Bright Eye Brew Co. in Ocean Springs.
“They gave me a lot of artistic freedom and a set of keys to come paint at night after hours,” she said.
Biloxi native Jerika Broussard painted “Corona Plague Doctor” as a tribute to healthcare professionals on the front line.
“Thank you all for stepping through fear and landing fully into your purpose, your passion, your life’s work in this time of need,” she said.
“This painting has reminded me to give gratitude to how far we have come as a culture and our advancement in medical care,” she said.
Sherry Phillips Carlson of Saucier says she is a public painter — frequently teaching art classes, taking workshops and active in art associations.
She has adapted to social isolation by taking virtual courses and painting plein air on her porch or backyard.
“To me — behind prayer — art, music and nature are the best ways to get through any trying time,” she said.
Marshall Polson, art teacher at Gulfport High School, says it has been an “unusual experience” balancing working from home and helping his wife homeschool their oldest child.
He has started a portrait series of his family in their everyday intimate moments, including “Ruby’s Tea Party” that features his daughter.
“It’s been a good reminder to me of how blessed I am to have family and to have time to spend with them,” he said.
“I have also been sharing the images of the paintings on social media in the hope of spreading some positivity.”
Paulette Dove of Biloxi is making imaginative birdhouses out of materials such as wire, paper and clay.
“In my world of uncertainty, I find just how much I need art in my life as a break from the reality of what is going on around me,” she said. “I give thanks every day for paint, clay and creative thinking and the challenge it brings. Art saves the soul — and my mind and life.”