The art must go on

ATHABASCA – Everyone is doing what they can to pass the time -- some exercise, some watch TV or play video games, others chat online with their friends and family -- but the artists out there are doing what they do best.

For three Athabasca artists in particular, the government-mandated social and physical isolation has given them time to organize, reflect and create.

Fine artist Charity Dakin was able to stock up on supplies before art stores and galleries were deemed non-essential businesses as the provincial government tried to get a handle on the spread of COVID-19, so she has not yet felt the full impact. But she still faces the challenges of how to handle her upcoming gallery shows.

“I work in isolation all the time, so it really hasn't changed a whole lot,” Dakin said. “It's fairly early so it's hard to know what's coming yet, but I'm still using the time to paint and to build up the work.” 

Dakin’s gallery shows are now going to be delivered in an online format to hopefully bring art collectors awareness of her flora and fauna fine art. 

“I think everybody's probably figuring out how to navigate the situation – what we thought was normal,” she said. “There has been a shift I know through my gallery representation and some of the shows coming up, those will be moved to an online format.” 

She added that artists have been through this sort of thing before, either from a pandemic or recession but the COVID-19 rules have made this a unique situation. Dakin has started using social media more to spread some joy through her art on Instagram under dakinbotanical and Facebook on her Charity Dakin Art page. 

“We've seen storms; nothing like this before, but we've definitely seen that in the past and you just have to be flexible, flexible and willing to adapt,” Dakin s. “If there's anything that I've changed now is I've probably increased my social media presence just to use it as a positive for people and just to keep up hope and inspiration.” 

In the end though, Dakin said she can only keep her studio open if she’s selling art so the longer the self-isolation rules are in place and the longer people are unsure how much money they need to get through this pandemic, it will impact her business. 

“I decided to keep working through it and actually use the time to just to keep building and then we'll see where it goes,” she said. “It is closely tied to economy; I can always produce artwork for people's enjoyment but if I can't pay for the studio space, then I have to go do something else.” 

Multi-medium artists Nancy Tarrant and Danica Brad have also dived into creating art, whether it be for business or pleasure. 

Brad is a student at Edwin Parr Composite in Athabasca. The 15-year-old artist has actually taken lessons from Tarrant, who described Brad as “a gifted, gifted artist" and she used her skills to create a space for doing her school work. 

“I’m actually painting murals on all four walls and the ceiling of my under-the-stairs closet,” Brad said March 24. 

She took advantage of two weeks away from doing school work to create the unique space before classes resumed online March 30. 

"It’s a pretty big project but it’s coming together well and it’ll be a great place to do my school work,” she explained. “I’m not sure it’s the greatest for studying since it’s pretty busy but I know I feel more motivated with creativity around me.” 

Tarrant is the owner of NWT Studio and Gallery where she teaches art lessons and does abstract, fine art and sculpture. Tarrant had two businesses impacted by the regulations around what were deemed non-essential businesses. 

“I've had to shut all my businesses down because not only do I do my art and my art studio, I also am a massage therapist,” Tarrant said. “So, everything in my world has been shut.” 

She has taken some time to organize and clean in her studio and created packages of ceramics which she posted for sale on her Facebook page knowing people need more to do than binge-watch Tiger King on Netflix or stare longingly out the window. 

“I've been trying to figure out ways with the studio to have people because now they're stuck at home, and they want to do something,” Tarrant said. “I've put a bunch of ceramics up for sale with paint so that people can take them home so that they don't lose their minds because they need the sense of normal.” 

Tarrant jokingly called artists “pathetic hoarders” when describing the amount of supplies she has on hand. 

“Because I teach as much as I do, I have an abundance of things. I have five racks of ceramics; I sculpt with fabric – I've got probably 25 cases of it – so supplies-wise I could have my own little dollar store,” Tarrant laughed. 

She enjoys finding different mediums to do her artwork on and described seeing a newspaper upon which an Irish artist drew an intricate landscape scene in the 1920s or 30s. She has also collected art done on blue jean and corduroy as an alternative to canvas. 

"When I draw and when I do charcoal, I do a lot of it on paper bags,” she said. “I always have tried to teach the kids that just because you want to do art it doesn't mean it has to cost a ton because art supplies, they're not cheap.” 

The solitude has inspired Tarrant though, giving her a chance to regroup and rediscover a passion for art and to sculpt again. 

“For me, I teach and I work and so rarely do I have the time to sit and sculpt anymore,” Tarrant said. “So as much as this is not great financially, I actually have an interest to create.” 

She did however laugh as she acknowledged that the longer self-isolating goes on the more it may have an impact on her artwork. 

“That's also the way I deal with stress,” she said. “I keep myself busy; I garden, I have a greenhouse, I've been trying to get my plants started. But yeah, if this goes on for months, I probably will be like Picasso making really weird stuff.”