Drawings of life in a suburb of Birmingham, England.
The immense disruption caused by the Covid-19 virus outbreak in 2020 has, as for everyone else, impacted on my daily life and all future plans. I am extremely grateful I’ve been spared from its worse effects so far, and that all my immediate family and close friends are safe and well.
My art work is based on what I see around me. My work from March to August 2020 was inspired by the southern suburbs of Birmingham, England, where I decided to go so that I could shield with my brother and elderly parents during lockdown. It is the area and family home where I grew up, leading to a lot of re-evaluation of places I had last known when was in my teens and early 20s. I discovered it was reassuringly peaceful and green place. Drawing helped me to take my mind off the worries and uncertainty of the time, as well as a way to encourage exploration of the local area. I often never left the house more than once a week during lockdown, almost always to get food or medicine. These drawings helped to take my mind outside even when I was indoors, mostly restricted to my old bedroom.
My drawings from this period were regularly posted on Instagram, you can see the change in the seasons over the five months. Below is a selection of these drawings, all drawn on an iPad using the Adobe Fresco app. At the same time I experimented with new ways of creating art.
