The Isolation project began in 2020, surprise, surprise, the year of pandemic.
Many people could have predicted the pandemic but little old me was shook as anything when I was suddenly confined to the house for months at a time. Reminding myself that I was still very lucky and privileged and that at least this house was nicer than my last helped slightly. Still, I struggled to get out of bed: a feeling that only worsened when I graduated my MA and the job rejections started piling up. This body of work stemmed from that feeling of listlessness and of loneliness and built from there.
I wanted to depict people dealing with these feelings that arise in isolation alone. The figures are surrounded by ordinary interiors: rugs, plants and books; they pursue ordinary pursuits like gazing out of the window, playing on their phones or sipping wine. It was important to me to include technology in these images as things like smartphones and laptops are pervasive and ubiquitous and I wanted the images to be recognisably contemporary. I also wanted to draw figures that are not idealised but more down to earth and realistic. I have continued with the simple outlines for the figures and more detailed backgrounds.
I began with ink illustrations and transferred some of these to vinyl blocks. Once carved, I printed them using oil-based inks on cartridge paper. Most of these are for sale. To purchase any of them, click on the image and it will take you to the shop :)
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