Global Meltdown

Avrel Menkes AvrelArt.com

Pure terror, anguish, fear, these emotions catapulted me to create Corona Landscape, a nightmarish narrative that evolved from the trauma of being stuck on a Coronavirus infested cruise ship with nowhere to port. During February and March 2020, while the world struggled with the fast growing pandemic, I was quarantined in my desolate cabin, immobilized off the coast of Africa. Miraculously making it home, and quarantined in my art studio, I agonized with worry that I had contracted Coronavirus. Would I become sick and would death soon follow? Would I be joining the death march of thousands? All I could do was paint that vision of horror in my head! The Corona Landscape symbolically reaches out hauntingly with the horrifying possibility that the infinite Corvid-19 is coming for every one of us! My entire Corona-19 Series may be found on my website. Dejan Mraovic dejan-mraovic.com

My goal is to create pieces with a deep meaning and message for the audience. Typography, iconography, and photography are extremely important in my work, not only as a source of information, but as a way of communicating with the public. Mask is a color poster, which urges people to wear a facial mask all the time and therefore block spreading COVID-19. The message is simple and straightforward: by protecting our physical health, we will protect our brains and our mental well-being.

Mask Digital 39” x 27”

Corona Landscape Acrylic and white charcoal on canvas 36”x 48”x 1.5”

My art has always revolved around nature. Lately, I’m interested in exploring the self-imposed otherness of humanity within the natural world. Globally, with seemingly few exceptions, we’ve come to regard our human existence as apart from nature, even as masters of it, particularly in America. With this piece, I was working with the idea of Nature as an impetus, a figure moving forward at an imperceptible pace toward an unknowable end. Our every move is a response to the environment, just as any other living thing. Our actions affect the biosphere, warming it, monoculturing it; we delude ourselves that we have tamed it. We build, farm, capitalize, study, and pray to survive within Nature’s Impetus Acrylic on canvas 12” x 16”

bounds, but also to gain comfort, pleasure, and meaning. We have come to believe that these things set us apart from all other life on earth. In spite of our perceived loss of connection to Nature, it continues to advance upon us, within us, around us. Indeed, it is us and we are it. Still, in spite of, or even because of our human advances, we are but threads in a web of living and non-living things.

Heather Diacont Rinehart hdrinehart.com

Kevin D. Hammon kevinhammon.com

My body of work focuses on birds and I typically utilize vintage maps to highlight the plight of migratory birds and their vanishing landscape. This one came as an omen from a dream last October before COVID. The evening sky was a bruised maroon and the air was stale. Broken fence posts marked the edge of a field. Upon a lone, standing fence post a Rook stood pecking at a morsel. The bird beckoned me forward. At the Rook’s post, the landscape fell away into a valley. A plague doctor trod along a dirt road that cut the valley. He briefly slowed to let dust settle as a pickup truck shot past. Keeping pace beside him was a Bloodhound collared in the same waxed leather worn by his owner. The hound noticed me, shook his head and sat with a yawn. The doctor, recognizing his companion’s absence, turned back and then followed the hound’s gaze. He met my stare and the hound let loose a baleful howl. I awoke.

Earth Died Screaming Mixed-media/acrylic 10” x 14”

Gregory Fry facebook.com/gregory.fry1

The goal of my work is to communicate and to be able to build and extend my visual language. My hope is to share the attitudes, history, beliefs, dreams and desires that I have been fortunate enough to see from others. In the end it is the simple need to communicate and elicit a response from someone that I may never meet.

Mr. Death’s Doctor at the Door Intaglio 10” x 8”

Watching/Waiting 50”x 38” Oil on canvas

My paintings are a new kind of realism that look not just at how we encounter the world around us, but which depict the struggles that circumscribe the idea of habitation for this generation as well as our future. This year, I created Watching/Waiting, a deep blue oil painting that points to concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

Heidi Hogden heidihogden.com

Catherine Meehan cmeehan.mfa@gmail.com

Kidston Drive Oil on panel 30” x 20”

Masked Figure no. 5 Inkjet print face mounted to Plexiglas 9” x 18”

As a traditional landscape artist, recently I yearned to create a visually stunning yet meaningful installation on the landscape. In my photographic Masked Figure series, a human figure with reptilian characteristics is portrayed as both witness and victim to the disappearance of life as we know it.

Thomas Pickarski ThomasPickarski.com

Working in a tableau style, we are using our photography as a way to provide social commentary on social, political and economic issues. Our background in advertising seemed a natural fit and we create these images in much the same manner as we would an ad campaign. We often reference Art History, Americana and Mother Goose to create an image that’s an amalgamated fairytale. The images are large in scale (approximately 50” x 60”), and can be satirical in nature. The settings are lush with an idyllic veneer and rich in symbolism. Danny Photography 48” x 65”

This allows us to playfully shift back and forth between whimsical and cautionary. They are an examination of contemporary culture, the trajectory of society and the social tensions that come with it. This is an ongoing series.

dror/forshee photography dror-forshee.com Instagram: @drorforshee

The Star Spangled Idiot was inspired by the uncontrollable rage that has infected a number of Americans. Particularly, those who attempt to justify their actions through toxic nationalism. From some angles, the figure is dangerous, overwhelmed with anger. But from other angles, he is a toy soldier, a nutcracker, playing dress-up. The “patriotism” emanating from his head is confused and twisted. His tattoos are fueled by his idolization of indigenous courage, although he is overtly racist towards anyone of color. The tattoo on his belly reads: “I Follow The Chosen One.”

Stefanie Rocknak steffrocknak.net

The Star Spangled Idiot: An American Nutcracker Basswood, paint, pen, graphite, synthetic hair and aluminum. 18” x 12” x 12”

All or Nothing 7”high Carved Rhea eggshell with Chicken egg insert

The perfect size, And the perfect shape, Organically forming A perfect landscape.

The life within, A single race, Dependent on sharing The beautiful space.

The wisdom of ages, The wonders of art, A singular component Of our Big Bang start.

It’s all one component, There is no discussion, So survival, my friends Will be All or Nothin’.

Cherie Lee eegscapes.wixsite.com/cherielee Instagram: @cherieleecreations

A Circus in My Head 20” x 21.5” Color pencil, acrylic and ink on paper

A Circus In My Head depicts a young boy experiencing perplexing challenges in his life. The traveling company that circles around him represents the public spectacle of chaos and unmanageable disarray experienced deep in his soul. At the same time, his gaze is hopeful as he imagines a new future. With resilience he remains undeterred to proceed courageously with his journey through life.

Liliana Wilson lilianawilson.com

The Frontliner - A Dreadful Yet Pragmatic Resort Oil on board 7” x 5”

I am a planetary scientist with the Mars Institute and the SETI Institute. I studied astronomy at Cornell University where I was Carl Sagan’s last T.A.. My artwork depicts our profound loneliness in the cosmos, its indifference to our concerns, but also our hope to explore it, to one day understand this tiny yet hopeful place we occupy in the vastness of space and time. This painting depicts a frontliner at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., moving a COVID-19 victim to a refrigerated truck. A sobering reminder of the frailty of our lives. I painted this gripping moment to honor all those who have died of COVID-19, and express my gratitude to frontliners everywhere.

Pascal Lee pascallee.net

The Sorrow of Sophia 54” x 70” Oil on canvas

Sophia, the Greek translation of the Hebrew “Hochmah”, is the feminine personification of Wisdom in the first five books of the Old Testament. She serves at the heart of the creative process, as Wisdom and as Teacher who was sent to save humanity. In this painting, the figure of Sophia emerges out of the upper branches of the old oak tree which is meant to represent the Tree of Life. I intentionally split the tree in two (by the two canvases) in order to convey the threat to the earth’s ecosystems brought on by the recent rapid rise in human population and our industrialized way of life. Climate Change, or Global Warming, appears to be accelerating. Humankind needs wisdom to address this problem. The Book of Wisdom warns about the state of humankind without her, and the dangers to future generations: (10:8) For because they passed wisdom by, they were not only hindered from recognizing the good, but also left for humankind a reminder of their folly, so that their failures could never go unnoticed. Wisdom is readily available to those who seek her: (6:12-13) Wisdom is radiant and unfading, and she is easily discerned by those who love her, and found by those who seek her. She hastens to make herself known to those who desire her.

Elizabeth MacFarland elizabethmacfarland.com

Mr. MaranasatiThe Undertaker Digital

This piece is about Maranasati, the buddhist meditation on death. I suppose it’s an attempt to come to terms with the pandemic and the inevitable conclusion that we all must face at some point.

Rich Del Rosso richdelrosso.com Kevin Schroeder facebook.com/1KevinJSchroeder

Have a Nice Day III 3” x 4” Drypoint

In 2019, I started a new series of mixed media canvases with the intent of chronicling the new millennium in the form of art. The first canvas in the series started with what was going on in the world New Year’s Eve 2000. Each additional canvas in the series is a composite look at what happened within a particular year, from pressing issues of the day and leading headlines to memorable songs, movies and athletic achievements. In this canvas is titled: 2019 - How Dare You! the emphasis is on the outcries surrounding climate change, a theme that is often revisited in several of the canvases. In 2019 it appears to have reached a fevered pitch with Greta Thunberg, a Swedish teen, voicing the existential threat to humanity and the world. Her passion has fueled a younger generation of activists seeking to influence their seniors now in power and doing very little to combat the problem. School walkouts occurred

2019-How Dare You! Mixed media 54” x 60” globally, and tens of thousands of students participate. Greta Thunberg, gains international recognition for her no-nonsense speaking manner in addressing public and political leaders/assemblies, criticizing their failure to take sufficient action. Meanwhile, America, the largest denier of climate change under the Trump White House administration, is embroiled in a Presidential impeachment inquiry. True to his form, the American President continues to foment international discord. and attack domestic environmental protections, while denying any wrongdoing. See what else you can find in this canvas?

Robert K. Posner (RKP) RobertKPosner.com

A Show of Heads Work Inspired by the Human Head

We are your foundation 2 - David 30” x 44” Graphite on Paper

My work is cathartic, simply a reaction to life and my understanding of it. Impoverished, young, unprivileged, I was brought up learning some of life’s toughest lessons quickly and intimately. My paintings and drawings are a combination of my negotiations with life, morality, anxiety, depression, and a fascination with the emotional power of the human figure and its surrounding environment. My compositions contain crumbs of the everyday, of familial interactions, solitary walks in nature, of peace within circumstance, and utilise familiar motifs present within romantic painting and literature to create a dialogue with viewers that feels familiar and safe, but all the more unsettling and uncanny. My work seeks to show similarly, the beautiful and the tragic, while the precise and meditative nature of my practice allows me to tease out my own understanding of a given circumstance or form, before engaging with the viewer and having the dialogue anew.

Andrew Elsten andrewelsten@yahoo.com

Bird Queen 14” x 12” Wax on Palladium Leaf

Birds fascinate me. How they engineer their nests and how does something so fragile survive the elements! I love painting their delicate feathers, a challenge with this wax based medium. I always enjoy adding surreal situations to my paintings and as this piece evolved, I thought how regal she looked, hence the title.

Suzan Fox SuzanFox.com

Residual Charcoal 22” x 21”

I am self taught and studied for two years at College for Creative Studies in Detroit. Almost all of my work is done in charcoal. My pieces work to convey a dark and often sinister tone. Each piece is meant to linger with the viewer and instill a feeling of curiosity, intrigue, whimsy, and perhaps an overall feeling of disturbia. I often work in a series. This piece is a part of a collection of humanoid nightmarish creatures of myth or legend.

Denise Carter denisecarteritsonlyvoodoo.com

Burial Ink on watercolor paper 5.5” x 8.5”

My work is very conceptual and very gestural. I focus more on light and form rather than on an exact representation of reality. I want to evoke feeling with my work. I’m very influenced by music Most of my work is a product of a band poster project I’m doing on my Instagram account. All artwork is original and is assigned to a band based on how I interpret the music. It’s a passion project and not in any way official artwork for the band. I use this project to explore different themes and processes. Most of my work is in black and white and usually done in ink, watercolor, or sometimes oil paint. It is then scanned into the computer and then the text is added digitally. It’s been a great way to connect to my audience and bring joy to many around the world.

Darrin Maier Instagram: @darrindraws