Escape by Marian Quigley, painted during lockdown, was inspired by scenes of Mallacoota residents escaping by boat from the bushfires. By Marian Quigley
I’D ALREADY filled out my entry forms for two local Easter art exhibitions by the time the first COVID-19 lockdown in Victoria was announced. They were among the many Australian exhibitions soon to be cancelled or postponed. Others shifted online. Most local art groups’ activities ceased. The pages of my diary – usually peppered with the dates of exhibition openings, submission, delivery and collection – are now blank or filled with crossed out entries.
Although artists may find it easier than most to adapt to enforced isolation and have found this to be a productive time, some – both local artists and members of online artist groups I know – seem dispirited or have lost their creative drive.
I’D ALREADY filled out my entry forms for two local Easter art exhibitions by the time the first COVID-19 lockdown in Victoria was announced. They were among the many Australian exhibitions soon to be cancelled or postponed. Others shifted online. Most local art groups’ activities ceased. The pages of my diary – usually peppered with the dates of exhibition openings, submission, delivery and collection – are now blank or filled with crossed out entries.
Although artists may find it easier than most to adapt to enforced isolation and have found this to be a productive time, some – both local artists and members of online artist groups I know – seem dispirited or have lost their creative drive.
