Quarantine Art Therapy

“There’s no place like home.” (Dorothy, The Wizard of Oz)

“Every person is different, every home is different, every item is different, and we all have to decide how best to approach the clutter in our lives and homes based on our own values, sentiments, circumstances, and priorities.” (Taylor Haskins)

Ok let’s face it. Since Ruth and I have been “cooped up” in our home because of the Corona Pandemic, we now spend considerably more time familiarizing ourselves more deeply with our room interiors. Witness my wife’s practical attitude that the current slowdown the Corona slowdown provides an excellent time to diligently rearrange the location of furniture or remove/add objects from tables/desks in our condo at least once a week. I, however, find a more “inner” connection to the current isolation I face in my home’s physical surroundings. For in such semi- quarantined living conditions now, I’ve become inspired by a Getty Art Museum Challenge to test my artistic talents as I express my current mental state in these matching photographs that follow.

To gain more personal benefit from this blog, I recommend you create your own home version of this Getty Museum Challenge. To get started, click on the You Tube link below

The downtrodden pose of this elderly man reminds me that there are so many victims of the pandemic’s wrath who desperately need more government help now. Everyone deserves a safe cocoon from the airborne spread of Covid -19 now.

With shades of Mahatma Gandhi in mind as I face the extended “downtime” pandemic, I look forward to these simpler times of quiet reflection and extended silent reading.

I struggle now to replace the soothing slowness of a Major League Baseball Game with a worthy replacement activity at night to equally occupy my attention.

Where is Francisco Lindor’s infectious smile and brilliance as a baseball hero these days when I need him?

The loss of human touch seeps sadly in to my mind in this era of social distancing. So a quick squirt of sanitizer on my hand and I can imagine a world of such closeness again.

When “cabin fever” sets in, I pedal outside to feel the fresh air caress my face and embrace the passing glory of wild nature.

I’m saddened by the teenager depicted in this picture who will likely face  the loss of peer social interaction with imminent school closures. Yet the slowdown seems to be an ideal time for him/her to reach out to others by volunteering.

I wonder about fulfilling the challenge of using my breathing mask and maintaining a social distance wherever I travel in the future?

 

Source: Getty Museum Art Challenge

http://www.mymodernmet.com/recreate-art-history-challenge/