It’s been a long and difficult year so far. The ongoing COVID pandemic and the plight of so many is the summary of 2020. It continues to be a  particularly difficult time for the creative industries and freelancers on projects halted due to the uncertainties the pandemic brings. On a personal front, I’ve directed my energy on working on personal projects and spending time in the studio to combat feelings of upset, anxiety and worry over how life has changed for so many in so short a time. I had the pleasure of being included in a series of interviews with Scripps National News focusing on how people are coping with COVID and regional lockdowns. Check it out !

I’ve also had the pleasure of engaging with other artists and interviewed a number for Occhi Magazine. This has been inspiring and motivational. I encourage you to read some of our recent articles for inspiration, encouragement and believe we can channel our energy into being creative and finding a therapeutic release during these times. Articles include artists Audrey Barcio, Jessica Hess , REWA and Visual Artist Denis Mubiru.

Audrey Barcio, an American visual artist known for her paintings and installations.  Her work has been featured in New American Paintings, and in 2019, she was awarded a Pollock Krasner Foundation grant. Barcio maintains a rigorous, interdisciplinary studio practice in which notions of action, labor, and the human condition intersect with the history of Modernism to form the basis of aesthetic explorations.

Oakland, CA-based artist Jessica Hess is a hyperreal landscape painter. Her depictions of the urban environment both celebrate and validate the art of graffiti through a fine art lens of oil paintings on canvas and gouache on paper. Her awe-inspiring paintings have a powerful, dramatic, and captivating energy that feeds a desire to know more about the person behind the work. It was a pleasure to connect with Jessica to discuss her art and future projects.

My first impression of REWA’s art is its bright, harmonious, intense, and rich nature. The vibrancy and life in each picture draw you in, to examine its construction with excitement. She studied Physiology & Pharmacology at University College London and worked in the Insurance industry, so it was interesting to explore REWA’s development as an artist and approach to her work

Ugandan Artist Denis Mubiru provides a powerful blend of force, flavor, and prominence in his vivid, vibrant, and arresting work. His paintings, reminiscent of Basquiat,  are inspired by popular culture with bright colors and stylized imagery. Central to his work is the theme of transport and the migration or movement of people. His artworks often include roughly applied text which highlight the significance of thoughts or his experiences at the time.

These and other articles  are featured on Occhi Magazine. Wishing you all a safe and happy week ahead!

Images provided to Occhi Magazine, courtesy of the artists

Jessica Hess photo by Dustin Cantrell