Emerging From Adversity
Lily May Gallery | 2021
Presented by Rossland Arts (RCAC) featuring artists’ work in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rainbows are a symbol of new beginnings.
Rainbows are a symbol of the calm after the storm.
Rainbows are a symbol of equality.
Rainbows, for me, also symbolize the chromatic spectrum of feelings and emotions, perhaps not otherwise experienced, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
My process of painting them one by one, each colour and each arch, repeated over and over again created joy, hope, and a form of meditation; perhaps even escapism— from the adverse effects of the pandemic.
The serial nature of this work is a representation of the repeated struggles of the individual and collective whole that resulted from the seemingly endless days of isolation, quarantine, and/or the limitations imposed upon us during the worldwide pandemic.
Arranged in a way that suggests movement, and implying no beginning nor end to the pattern contributes to the idea that both the struggles and the joys of life are constant. I have repeated the rainbows to symbolize community, a power in numbers, and mutually existing to create a powerful presence together.