Seagulls and Social Distancing
-Betty LaDuke-
Some months ago, I sketched seagulls along the Oregon coast as they soared and dived against a setting sun. I never imagined these sketches would become a symbolic catalyst for my current art work about our new reality, the Coronavirus pandemic, and the necessity for social distancing.
Early March 2020, in my Ashland studio, I began with paint brush and paint to roughly capture seagulls' energy on the rough surface of three plywood panels. They completely filled each 2' by 4' panel as their wings spanned across the circular curves of the sun.
Feeding seagulls became my passion. That was my daily work process. Developing these diverse seagull forms also helped me cope with the anxieties and uncertainties we all share, nationally and globally.
With consistent feedings, my misbehaving seagulls gradually matured as a triptych while maintaining their individual personalities.
