The Pandemic gave me an inheritance of sorts; not of money, but of time. All my activities just stopped. Well, life was getting a bit too busy for me, anyway. I do remember thinking back in 2019 that I wished I could make it all just stop. Well, what can I say? My wish came true!
(My apologies. I meant it just for me).
My new abundance of time was spent working in what is now called Studio 6000 — a printmaking membership run workspace, less than a mile from our house in Sisters Industrial Park. All of its furniture and presses formerly belonged to The Bend Art Center founded by Pat Clark.
For many years, I had created colorful night sky landscapes using printmaking techniques and gouache. I had recently published a book of these images called Night Skies. The Pandemic, however, brought me back to earth. My focus became the people around me. I started doing monotypes of friends and neighbors wearing their COVID masks. I was also curious to find out how the Pandemic was affecting each person. I put all these images and stories together in my next book called Pandemic Portraits.
When the first vaccine came out, there was a universal sigh of relief. We could now hug again! I started doing portraits of couples hugging, making monotypes based on these photos. But then the virus began to morph into new forms. Staying centered for each of us from day to day became the new norm. I started asking people to self-hug as a way to express this concern.
The hug motif continued to change as the world changed around me. Hugs became images of shared grief and loss but also hugs of enjoying this life in all that we have to embrace. My book, HUG, came about from exploring this hug theme in all these many different aspects.
The Pandemic has proved to be the most creative period in my life, mainly because it gave me the time to do nothing except focus on my art. It’s also been a great way for me to get to know my community better. Everyone was very happy to hug for me. Their happiness made me happy.
HUG is an 8 ½” by 11” 132-page hardback with 55 illustrations. You can order one at paulalanbennett.com. It is also available at Paulina Springs Bookstore, Bedouin, Sisters Art Gallery and Frame Shop and Fika Coffee.
Hugs!
~Paul Alan Bennett