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Isolation Exhibit Header

Welcome to the Isolation Contemplation’s of artists who have turned a time of testing into communications from the heart. For many the complete separation from others or the strained loss of community and missed hopes and dreams has been extremely devastating. This is a time of postponed weddings, loved ones dying behind doors we cannot enter, and livelihoods being stripped from people. The fear of death or illness abounds stopping our routines and changing our lives. Well it is during this time that these amazing artists and poets have given a piece of their hearts to us.

Thank you to all of you who entered this exhibit and to all who will come to visit here to be inspired. Enjoy the show and Peace to all who enter!


There will be a People’s Choice Award- YOUR VOTE COUNTS!
Vote at bottom of exhibit!


Juror's Statement

- Fine Arts -

Click photos to enlarge

Click Here to Purchase

A Conversation in a Contained Space
Gay Gillies
Price: $600
Oil Fresco on Wood Panel, 8" x 8".
America
Janine Simmons
Price: $225
An unexpected site on a country road, a large flag hanging from a barn, a bit tattered and worn but the colors shone brightly illustrating America's strength to overcome adversity.
Artist Isolated at Work
Michelle Staniels
Price: POR
Detail of an artist at work. Outside Looking in... separated by metal and glass from nature in darkness. Barnstable, MA. Taken with Canon 5d Mark III 50mm 1.2 canon lens.
Blossoms from the Abyss
Lauren Mendell
Price: POR
These blooms represent how no matter how much darkness there may be in this world, no matter how deep your feelings may be, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel and there is always something beautiful that can come from the darkest of places. The flowers in this piece are 3-D.
Connected
Qi Jin
Price: $150
"Connected" posits nature as the source of unity. The pandemic may have uprooted our typical sources of social connectivity: workplaces, theaters, restaurants, places of worship, etc. The work emphasizes that our shared existence is the ultimate source of connection that is ever-present even when the pandemic has rendered some avenues of human connection infeasible.
COVID 19
Don Watenpaugh
Price: POR
Since the dawn of the COVID-19 pandemic, epidemiologists have generated mathematical models to attempt to predict its course. Discussion of these models dominates media coverage of the pandemic. A lot of variables go into these calculations, as shown in this “model”. The equations morph and evolve as circumstances change and we learn more about SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus causing COVID-19. The models are complex and sophisticated, but in a scientific sense, they are also beautiful.
Crestfallen
Sarah Hale Folger
Price: $2,200
Acrylic/ Charcoal/ 48 X 30
Who can know the weight of another's' burden? All around us and within us we are wrestling the darkness and uncertainty. Feel it don't run, can't hide. Then rise back up and be ready to walk with your head held high. Strengthen what remains.
Fake It Till You Make It
Lauren Mendell
Price: POR
This little guy, has a smile on his face, and to you he may seem like everything is okay, but inside, he struggles with anxiety and stress of every day life. He tries to keep a positive attitude and keep that chin up and keep smiling, because eventually, that smile won't be fake, it will be real, and he will have made it through another day.
Gambier Terrace
Jeffrey T. Curtis
Price: $275
11 X 17. Abstract inspired by Artist Stuart Sutcliffe.. original bassist for The Beatles .. also a prolific artist .. this has a colorful stained glass appearance..done in colored pencils and marker, 11x17.

Gold Dust
Gay Gillies
Price: $600
Oil and Gold Leaf Fresco on Wood Panel, 8" x 8".
Healthcare Worker Memorial
Don Watenpaugh
Price: POR
History will show that thousands of healthcare workers died in 2020 from the very disease they were trying to treat us for and protect us from: COVID-19. The horizontal scale of this data-driven work spans 2020. The vertical scale represents worldwide healthcare worker deaths on a 0 – 1000 scale. The black → blue curved line depicts the exponential rise in healthcare worker fatalities. Bifurcation of the ascending blue line is adapted from the 911 memorial Tribute in Light. The virions at right represent healthcare worker deaths on the six affected continents.
Hindsight is 2020
Don Watenpaugh
Price: POR
The old saw “Hindsight is 20-20” refers to the “20-20 vision” we have when looking back in time. Many will want to look back on the year 2020 if only to know they survived. This work depicts seven variables during the first half of 2020 in the United States. What will happen over the remainder of the year? If we make it, we’re already looking forward to attending our first virtual New Year’s Eve party! After the last echoes of Auld Lang Syne fade, we’ll finalize this work with data from the last six months.
Homage to Kahlo
Sheila Oliveira
Price: $600 Unframed $1,000 with Frame
Painting based on a self portrait of the famous painter Frida Kahlo with altered symbolism. Oil on paper 18 x 32
Imagining
Judith Klein
Price: $1,900
 
My professional career began in Israel where I attended an art high school in Tel Aviv and later graduated from Art Teachers College. I also attended the advanced program at the Avne Institute of Fine Arts in Tel Aviv. For the following years I taught Fine Art at Israeli Public Schools and began to exhibit my personal artwork at a leading Tel Aviv Art Gallery. Later I moved to Milan, Italy where I continued my art education and career at the Brera Academy (Academia Brera de Belle Arte).
Into the Mystic
Cathy Howe
Price: $1000
I created this pastel painting during the very beginnings of the pandemic. It was a way for me to not focus on the scary possibilities.
Isolation in Space and Light
Michelle Staniels
Price: POR
 
As darkness approaches, artist Karl Maki creates stunning works of art in his Steel Studio during this 2020 Pandemic. Barnstable, MA. Taken with Canon 5d Mark III 50mm 1.2 canon lens.
Lemon Lime Summer
Karen A.V. Obrien
Price: $800
48" wide x 24" tall, acrylic and glazes on canvas, wire in back ready to hang.

Life in the Time of COVID
Nancie King Mertz
Price: $1,000
A selfie from April, 2020 as we were locked down.
Maze of Intention
Kat Knutsen
Price: POR
“Maze of Intention” is a portrait of my best friend. She was one of the first people I met when I switched into the arts from nursing. One of the many things I love about her is her ability to intuitively see through the maze of intention amongst the individuals she’s encounters. In this painting, she’s confronting the audience, asking them where their heart lies on an important matter, and asking the audience to stop and think before reacting too quickly.
My Mask
Sheila Oliveira
Price: $175 unframed $250 with frame
Studio photograph of girl with mask. Film based and dark room produced. 16 x 24.
Nightfall
Sarah Hale Folger
Price: POR
Photo
When the sun goes down, it's beauty that gets the last word in. When the night falls it reminds us to rest our weary hearts, must rest in times like these with the hope of a new day, a new sunrise on the other side of this darkness.
Nocturnal Rose
Alma Cummings
Price: $295
Oil, Wax and Mixed media on wood
Nowhere
Jeffrey T. Curtis
Price: $275
11 X 17. This Work is a Abstract pointillism landscape. it’s 11x17 using colored markers .. Ink illustration Pens .. it’s influenced by being stuck during the Covid lockdown .. missing day to day activities.. Vacation etc .. it’s meant to be Nowhere or Anywhere your mind can envision..

Playing Outside
Janine Simmons
Price: $225
I captured this photograph during an unprecedented moment in South Dartmouth, MA, a powerful combination of a Black Lives Matter protest march down Elm Street and the new 'masked' reality for a child.
Private Space
Michelle Staniels
Price: POR
Artist Karl Maki, making art in his home made studio out of a Metal Shipping container during Covid 19 Pandemic. Captured at dusk. Barnstable MA. Taken with Canon 5d Mark III 50mm 1.2 canon lens.
Quarantine, Safe but not Free
John Pitocco
Price: $150
The photo shows a beautiful bird in a cage. The bird, who wished to be safe, has traded it's wings for safety. This is an image from my series "The Quarantine".
Quiet Words
Gay Gillies
Price: $600
Oil Fresco on Wood Panel, 8" x 8".
Red Sun
Judith Klein
Price: $500
My professional career began in Israel where I attended an art high school in Tel Aviv and later graduated from Art Teachers College. I also attended the advanced program at the Avne Institute of Fine Arts in Tel Aviv. For the following years I taught Fine Art at Israeli Public Schools and began to exhibit my personal artwork at a leading Tel Aviv Art Gallery. Later I moved to Milan, Italy where I continued my art education and career at the Brera Academy (Academia Brera de Belle Arte).
Rumination
Sarah Hale Folger
Price:$1,400
Acrylic/ Charcoal/ 48 X 30
Thoughts pouring over cloudy minds...layers of tangled thoughts with no clarity.. Must fight the urge to disappear into chaos.. must pour the yellow paint to bring in some hope. And hope steals the composition where once the painting was lost in layers with no end, gloominess was made a mere drop cloth for the friendly yellow paint.
Santa Maria Goretti
Kayla Conner
Price: $85
In this piece the artist's mother, a healthcare worker, is reimagined as a saintly figure during the pandemic.
Self Portrait in Chaos
Melanie Ducharme
Price: POR
Mixed Media.

Self Portrait with Mask
John Jameson
Price: POR
Oil on Canvas, 2020.
Self Portrait with White Handkerchief
John Jameson
Price: POR
Gouache on Paper, 2020.
Self Portrait, The Hearkener
Stephanie Sherman
Price: $425
Self-portrait, Acrylic on Canvas. This 4X4 portrait demonstrates my exploration of the self, compressed into a small space, wearing my bathrobe, patient, listening for contact, while keeping aware of the webcam. 4" X 4" dimensions.
Covid Crazy
Gina Croce
Price: POR
11 x 14 Transparent watercolor. This is a self portrait depicting the state of sadness and isolation we all are feeling as artists and as citizens. I had just made that black mask using swirling fabric to show the state of confusion and unsettledness that I was feeling but added the embroidered rose as a symbol of hope.
She Deserved a Better Goodbye
Kerry Walker
Price: $1,500
My 96 year old grandmother died from Covid-19 on Easter Sunday and she was only allowed a very small group at her funeral because of the restrictions. A lot of the family joined by video conferencing, but she deserved so much more than that. She was the glue that held this family together and she was an absolutely remarkable woman. We will be having a life celebration for her in a few years, hopefully. Rest in peace, Grammy.
This drawing is done on Strathmore drawing paper using staedtler mechanical pencil and woodless graphite pencil as well as tombow mono zero eraser and blending stumps. It's a 14x17.
Sincerely
Kendra W. Houston
Price: $750 Original
$60 Unframed Print
Other Sizes Upon Request.
A series of 12 handmade greeting cards in different media, created during and inspired by COVID-19 isolation. 27”x22” including portions outside the frame. I create and sell handmade greeting cards in a variety of artistic media. The creation of this series was spread out over the several months of COVID-19 quarantine here on the East Coast of the United States. Each one tells a story.
Sleeping Alone
Abrah Zion
Price: Digital $150 Prints POR
Sleeping alone depicts how lonely and isolated you feel when you must stay socially distanced and can't touch the people you love.
Solitary Companion
Karl Maki
Price: POR
An introspective self portrait portraying the struggle of maintaining creative energy in an isolating background of changing environment.Washed recycled acrylic, ash coal, washed pastel, 48x48.
Solo
Gay Gillies
Price: $600
Oil Fresco on Wood Panel, 8" x 8".
Spring Guardians
Gay Gillies
Price: $1,800
Felt, Paper, 24k gold leaf.
The Quarantine
John Pitocco
Price: $150
During the quarantine people were not able to travel freely. Streets were abandoned. This is an image from my series "The Quarantine".
Trapped
Sheila Oliveira
Price: $175 unframed $250 with frame
Digital double exposure of self portrait and abandoned hotel in the Azores, Portugal.
Twiggy
Sheila Oliveira
Price: $600 Unframed $1,000 with Frame
Painting of Vogue Magazine cover photographed by Richard Avedon. Painting based on that image taken in the 1960's. 18x32 oil on paper
Warm Isolation
Michelle Staniels
Price: POR
An Artist at work in his Steel Shipping Crate Studio, wile warm light surrounds him inside. Artist Karl Maki, making art. Captured on Barnstable MA. Taken with Canon 5d Mark III 50mm 1.2 canon lens.

- Poems -

Click poem title to view author PDF

Broken Dreams

by Amanda Karch


to watch a dream
fall,
crushed into smithereens,
shards of glass,
tattered papers floating on the wind
with not a care in the world
that it was
yours,

ink smears on the paper,
dirty handprints on the glass,
tarnishing
a pure slate

a place for
rebirth, for
finding yourself,
pushing your limits,
exploring the world with an open mind and a
blank canvas,

now dirty,
smeared,

never to be the same again:

that’s heartbreak


Echo

by Shane Rohane


The Flow to know
let go to keep going
Bound into words
Work inside each syllable
To keep and speak
Fuidity in motion winding emotions
Immutable, unmovable, irrevocable
Inside and out take me from within
Without, without, without. Within
Keep me from the insight
Strum vibrations into deeper meaning
Meaning to ghost-note through pages
Thrum and shift
Hum melody into organic circuitry.


Home Again

by Carolyn Malone


I drifted with intangible restlessness
Until one day the world became diseased.
A global cyclone swept me up,
And washed me ashore a familiar coastline,
The fishing town that recklessly raised me,
That harbors the sunken shadows of my past.

I am flooded with childhood memories
Of the motherly ocean engulfing me
Jumping and splashing in her foam
Clothes drenched, curly hair tangled,
Shamelessly wild in the purest form.

I’d daydream of what it would feel like
To have my body dissolve into water,
Melt like a glacier into fluid motion,
And tumble gracefully through a blanket of blue space.

I remember falling in love for the first time,
With the untamed, lawless boy in the neighborhood,
An unlikely match for the shy girl
With carefully conservative parents.

He taught me how to love
With unbreakable willingness and devotion.
We burrowed in a trench of forbidden love,
As tragedy in his life struck blow by blow.

When the pain metastasized,
Hurt took the place of healing.
There was no more room for love to grow,
And I learned my first lesson in heartbreak.

As I sit on the shattered sea wall,
I reminisce over lost loved ones,
And the brokenness they left behind.
Trauma is left deeply submerged
in the hollow places of my heart.

I drown in a flood of questions,
What could I have done to keep you here?
Do you forgive me?
Where have you gone?
Can you hear me calling your name,
From this forlorn shoreline?

I can no longer run
from the silence and stillness
That have patiently prevailed
In the faded photographs of my soul.

The salty air lashes through me,
And the tears begin to flow.
I am struck with a rogue wave of nostalgia,
stripped down, raw and vulnerable.
I am forced to face my flaws of yesterday
To find forgiveness today.

I bring the salt water to my open wounds.
At first it stings, so intensely
That I think the pain might pull me under.
I stop treading and finally surrender.

Suddenly I feel weightless,
Free from the chains of my past.
My body dances weightlessly
In a cool bath of remission.

My roots are anchored deep
In the currents of this hometown battleground.
I finally choose to honor my wounds,
Let them flow through my entirety.

I skip a stone and watch it ripple,
As the undying ethereal energy
Travels through the vastness
Of the deep blue blanket of space.


In-Between

by Shane Rohane


Moments unconscious
conscious, aware, yet
unaware of the mixture
I seek in the fissure
the voiceless voice that listens.
Play upon yesterday’s laments
my needless torments
vivid and beautiful imperfection
steal my breath. Stylize me
through the pictures inside
ambered and crystalline, sanguine yet
vivified inside your touch
Love.


Refinement in Confinement

by Sarah Hale Folger


In this time of confinement
We are forced to be released
Of our normal routines of escape
Our addictions, our anxieties appeased
Those outlets we regularly used
To escape our troubles and our fears
Those crutches we thought we needed forever
Have been broken
We left home to relieve our stresses
Turmoil and pain
Of jobs and marriage troubles
Of loneliness and self-doubt
We grew so entrenched in our behaviors
Like a well-worn path
We walked it daily, weekly, monthly
In casinos, bar rooms
Gyms, theaters and stadiums
Filled with vices and camaraderie
To escape the truth about who we are
This is a wakeup call
And before we are released
We must discover the truth
About what really matters
About our part in our own pain
Time to refine our minds
Time to weed the garden of our thoughts
Time to listen carefully
And let hope and love and peace
Be the exit plan from these times


The Struggle for Peace

By Sarah Hale Folger


It’s an uphill battle
Trying to build the bridge
Between our thoughts
You see it your way
I see it mine
But it’s all about taking a walk
Come over here
I’ll come over there
Want to see what you see
From where you stand
Will you please take a look
From where I sit
Beliefs are built on experience
Please let’s not hold on so tight
Perceptions can be a problem
When they cannot align
If only people realized
The full picture
Wise is the one that waits
Watching and listening
Mostly with the gut
When you truly want peace
You work overtime
Managing the words
Before they ever leave your mouth
And the actions before you take them
I’m in amazement to observe
What people say and do
It’s a cluster of barbed wire
I shall fly above it and get a better view
It’s up here I decide
The landscape has changed
Destroyed by violence
Of both words and deeds
Fueled by fires lit by sources hidden
Tapping into pain and anger
Fueled by borrowed branches
Of trees long torn down
My heart sinks as I shield the eyes
Of our children frightened and confused
Give us life again
Give us love
Give us all
The pursuit of happiness
Nothing good ever came from wars
Between us and them
I toss a towel
Thrown in to say
Please let’s stop
Let’s find better ways
To right the wrongs
And create new paths
That lead us to PEACE


Cramped Infinity

by Don Watenpaugh


Not sure what all
the fuss is about
People complainin’ they can’t get out.
I been stuck in here for a long long time
But still feel like I’m doin’ just fine.

True, I got no worries, no one to love.
Not even sure ‘bout any god up above.
They feed me three square, and I can just lay here.
Guess the main thing is, I got pencils and paper.

‘Cause I like to write, and my mind has no limit.
Only thing is, my cell’s gettin’ too small.
Tall stacks of papers piled up the wall
All around, so now there’s not much space left in it!
But who cares, after I’m gone they will see
the stuff that I’ve written is more important than me.


Her

by Katherine Burke


the coconut smell of her freshly shampooed hair
the feel of her bony body when I wrapped my arms tightly around her
the glow within her, after testing new makeup on her face
the stress of the amount of time (but also the hidden joy) of walking around the supermarket with
her) taking forever!!
now, the lists of things I have to get her at the supermarket and the much needed Lysol that’s no
longer on the shelves
now, the perseverating and worries about the most obscure things
when I snuggle her cat will the germs from me pass from him to her?
now the guilt, should I have seen friends... what if...?
now, the scolding of my daughter to limit contact with her friends because I won’t know if I’m
carrying anything to her
the unknowns, the wonder, the what if’s, the sadness, the anxiety when I think about her
the lost moments of comfort, the loss of a closeness, the precious time that I will never get back
with her
now the awkwardness and pretending like it’s all okay and getting very used to tears welling in
both of our eyes as we try not to get too close
now the goodbyes from afar, blowing kisses, no bony body hugging me back
the silently crying in her bathroom before I leave her by herself…
as I pour some of her shampoo in a little bottle to keep, but can never tell her because she will
never understand




Hot Shot Yacht Rot

by Don Watenpaugh


OMG I’m so tired of this freaking yacht!
We’re at sea six weeks now and I’m gonna go nuts.
Yeah, some crew tested positive, but you know what?
I don’t give a crap. They need to get off their butts!

But the main thing is that we can’t come into port.
Word got out that COVID was all over my boat.
So my booze drugs and food are all getting real short
And it takes more than water to keep her afloat!

My only escape from this hundred-foot “cell”
Was diving, but then the compressor shut down.
The news says this virus is giving everyone hell.
WTF, IDC, I gotta do stuff in town.

So I’m done with this tub. My chopper! Thar she blows!
I’ll be back at my penthouse before restaurants close.


Quietus of Loneliness

by Don Watenpaugh


We knew each other since I don’t recall.
We played whatever while our Moms ruled the world.
But even when he and I were so very small,
Our eye contact could leave my brain unfurled.

Along the way we gave others a whim,
But our bond became deep love. We happily drowned.
Finish each other’s thoughts? We started them!
Now eight decades later, we’re still at the playground.

We came to that time to need others for care.
We were the life of the party in there!
But then this disease started tainting the air.

Before they took him away, we shared eyes to each soul.
Time without him has stopped: parting love’s callous toll.
I’ll soon take the pills nurses didn’t know I stole.


The Lost Year

by Kayla Conner


It’s a slow-motion train wreck.
I see it coming.
Taste blood on my tongue.
Feel constriction in my lungs.
We have four walls to keep us safe.
All we can do is wait.
Tread water until we drown.

What day is it?
What month? Still March?
March forth to April.
The longest April
Days into weeks into months.
May we stretch into Summer?
Shall we ever return?
I don’t think I want to.
Let it all Fall away.
Into oblivion. Darkness. Silence.

White Winter blankets the stillness of
The Lost Year.
We are all connected in our isolation.
Until yellow crocus Spring up from snow.
And we can begin anew.


Three Guards for One Prisoner

by Don Watenpaugh


It’s actually good that I can’t go anywhere,
And he goes out for stuff if we’re really in need.
The weather’s now warmer and I’d have to wear
A hat pants and long sleeves to hide where I bleed.

Either way, it would start up those people who stare
To see extra clothes, or the bruises beneath them.
And if they intervene, let’s please God not go there!
He’ll beat me so bad I can’t shield the kids from him.

What those people don’t get is I’ve loved him so long!
And he loves me too, and the kids (and my purse!).
But he gets really mad when I do things so wrong,
And this virus thing’s made everything all that much worse.

So I’m going to hang in there for him and the kids.
Oh shit! He’s back! The kitchen! I …


Weird and Scary Stuff in Second Grade

by Don Watenpaugh


We had lots of fun at school one day.
The teacher picked our group to read scary stuff.
Recess was awesome. They just let us play!
We made up a game where we floated like fluff.

But then Jimmy fell down when he floated too dumb
And scraped up one knee, and blood ran when he walked.
Then we went back inside and ate lunch. Then at one,
The Principal came on the speaker and talked.

She said there was this weird disease all around
Like a cold, but much worse, because some people died!
So for us to be safe, they were closing school down.
But that we will still learn stuff at home if we tried.

So now I’m just home and I miss all my friends.
And for this scary stuff, no one knows when it ends.


Within the Planes

by Shane Rohane


in you face you see
when all is erased and traced
eyes burn and pigments turn
to see without sight
all of you without your name
within you an image unheard
silencee inside thoughtless verbs
soothed out reassurances
reemerge and unfurl from the cocoon

words impart hope I can't
understand in petaled thought worth
hardened to demand grand gestures
brush color in my lips cover my face
kiss and blush within

light bends when time evades
your careful lines shade
flesh me out
sweetness
I turn to you
I crave you.


Please vote for up to 3 entries, either poems or artwork. Click link below. We're so happy to have you enjoy this exhibit and vote for the artists who truly inspire you! The winner will be announced on December 12th.


It has come to our attention that some of our voters haven't been able to submit their choices. We apologize for the inconvenience. If that is the case, please click the button bellow to be able to submit your choices. If the problem persists, please let us know, thank you.

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PEOPLE CHOICE AWARDS

Please pick your three favorite pieces of art whether, Art, Photography, Drawings, Scultings, or Poem. We know it will be a challenge but helps us choose our winner. You will only be able to select 3 choices, in case you change your mind you will need to unselect a previous answer if you already picked 3 works of art. Thank you for your help, and have fun.

Fine Arts
Poems