"Alone, neither here nor there", oil on panel, 16" X 20"

This time of quarantine has felt like a kind of "portal", neither here nor there, a netherworld of in-between where time stops as it keeps going and nothing is certain. This painting conveys this feeling. A silhouetted figure walks a street, perhaps walking home, walking in the afternoon light, the dawn, walking as the night approaches, the time of day is unclear, a bright sunset, a sunrise, or midnight sun. The light shines on a strange green field, a playground, a town square, a back yard? And the buildings, are they home, work, spaces of commerce or social gathering? They seem familiar, yet undefined, and foreboding. This sense of place and time I feel now. Somehow I want to walk towards a home or space of comfort, but the building comes towards me, pushing into the space, neither here nor there. 

I feel this perception of time now. I'm waking up, going through the day, looking for work, direction, a pathway, yet I find uncertainty. I see light and sun, but I'm not sure what time of day it is. I see a building, I want to call it home, I want to walk in that direction, but I'm somehow repelled, in the center, time suspended. 

Submission: Taking Time 

I am a painter based in New York and am currently spending this quarantine period in my hometown of Greenville, SC. My recent work lies at the intersection of painting, music, and dance, exploring traditional painting and drawing processes with the dynamics of live performance and the moving image. I have a range of experience producing multi-disciplinary projects and performances integrating music, video, and the visual arts. 

Currently during this lockdown, I have been producing a series of floral paintings titled, "Springtime is Happening", inspired by the blossoming springtime and vibrant color of my hometown in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. It was an unexpected turn of circumstances that brought me here, but I am finding myself waking up to the natural beauty that surrounds me and striving to capture this experience with a fresh perspective. In the midst of all that is happening, as everything in the world closes, I am reminded that springtime is happening, and there is hope. 

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Fotini Christophillis