The Bear in the Room

On January fourth, I opened my French Quarter gallery with a brave banner of hope and a loyal band of  well-wishers cheering me on. In the best economy of my life time , in my favorite city I have ever lived in, with a gallery full of brand new work inspired in and by my adopted new home, what could go wrong? 

Well no reason to answer that question as the whole wide world knows it. On March 18th the mandate came from the Mayor’s office to shut all non-essential businesses. So only two months in, I am closed for an indefinite future. The first week I went from panic to panic unable to focus or plan beyond walking my dogs - Frenchies, Picachu and Pucca -   through  the deserted streets of the French Quarter. This once happy routine became, like all other small pleasures of my pretty and artsy  life, surreal, grim and scary.  Ok. Time to get it together and shake off the weirdness.  My solution and salvation in times of distress has always been to try and paint something, anything. I set up my easel in my Royal Street courtyard and started. What I painted astonished even me.

On two large canvases I painted two big, black bears. I never ever painted a bear before. I wasn’t at all sure where this was going or why. Then a sort of idea hit me. Even though the world of human commerce had stopped and, with it, the world as we have experienced it , nature had not. Over the next three months I maniacally filled the canvases with wildflowers, bees, birds, trees, ants, rabbits, possums, turtles and butterflies. 

 I am often asked, "how do you know when a painting is finished?"  The  answer can be quite complex, but not in this case. There was just no more room for one more creature. I call these painting my Corona Bears. To me the bears symbolize a big, black presence moving through our world, like the Coronavirus. We have all heard the stories of how nature is experiencing a rebirth and a holiday of sorts. I find this truth very consoling. The power of nature to continue and push through all adversity inspires me to do the same. 

From Anne Lane Gallery to all the world, we are pulling for you! Be well.