Music, conversation, weather, travels. They synthesize into our perception of the world, reminding us that we are part of a larger community, even when our world seems to have shrunk to the size of a window pane.
Before COVID-19, Toronto artist Elizabeth Greisman began a series of paintings she created in response to music. While painting a sketch for an opera, she says, she noticed the musical score “was beautifully rhythmic and I responded to the melody by making a dot for every beat.” It was a new way of painting; she used it again while doing a residency in Buenos Aires. It’s a technique that also influenced the painting “Rain,” above, part of a series of works created during COVID “that involve isolation or, in this case, a concentration on the image of rain on the window pane, with the viewer looking outside … Imagine sitting in a window seat, so close to the window that you can see the droplets on the pane.”
She was reminded, during the pandemic, of the importance of collaboration. She spent much of her time working out of her studio at the Wychwood Barns artists’ complex; although secluded in her studio, she was surrounded by the collective, sharing ideas, even with social distance. “We dreamed together of better days ahead, and this positive energy fuelled the day-to-day struggle with imagery, colour, continuity and the meaning of each image. It was the first time I had opened myself up to dialogue about the work I was creating at the Barns and it is so valuable.” New work, too, will change to incorporate new techniques and experiences. “My colours have changed. I want happier, brighter, more illuminating colours and images,” she said. Creation is, after all, organic.
When we create something, it contains multitudes — people we’ve met, ideas we’ve had, places we’ve seen, music and art we’ve experienced. We continue to grow — even when we’re home, grounded.
By Deborah Dundas, Books Editor at Toronto Star
