I have been painting a lot of childhood toys and stuffed animals since moving back to my parents’ house for the quarantine. It’s funny because I don’t think I would normally, but in these circumstances I just want something comforting that presents a small challenge. For instance, I painted my old teddy bear. The challenge was that it’s a white teddy bear and white can be very difficult to get right. The piece was comforting to me because I feel like I’m in solidarity with places in Silver Spring, and other parts of the world, where people are putting teddy bears in their windows for a children’s scavenger hunt. It’s a very small thing that I can do to stay connected to other people.
There are other toys I have focused on. I mostly have made small watercolors because they feel more intimate and the process of painting them is fast. There’s a toad, a lizard, other teddy bears and Eugene, my elephant.
Most days I am painting or drawing. I worry that I’ll run out of ideas but they seem to keep coming. I think I will move away from the toys but they have been fun to paint.