"Day 13"

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Artist's Thoughts 

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          As a result of being in quarantine, I have had a lot of free time to do something I really love… art!However, the state of the world has created stress and anxiety, which some days discourages me from wanting to leave my bed. Even though art is extremely therapeutic, I felt helpless. My original painting “Day 13” is representative of the mix of emotions that I felt during the first 13 days of quarantine. It represents my anger, sadness, gratitude, and frustration in my lack of motivation to make art. It also represents how many artists must feel during this quarantine, which is the pressure of creating something with this free time. The painting depicts myself with strokes of blue and brown, representing my struggle of sadness. I also made the background resemble a chalkboard (a nod to the schools that have closed for the remainder of the year) with numbers, words and symbols related to the coronavirus. This piece has taught me the value of expressing my emotions, no matter how hard it may be. After finishing this piece, I immediately felt better, and it has given me the confidence to create more emotional art in the future!
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- Adaja Cooper