Can you tell us more about your concrete experience of the lockdown ?
Sabrina and I live in Southampton, New York, about two hours from Manhattan. New York is of course by now the epicenter of the pandemic. One is ordered to stay home. Everybody has to wear masks leaving their homes. As of today we have about 400 confirmed Covid 19 cases with numbers still rising.
Many people from Manhattan fled out here to escape New York and spend time in their second homes to be with nature and get away from the crowds. This has created some small problems for the locals at this time of the year as food markets weren't prepared for that amount of people.
All our stores are closed with the exception of essential businesses such as drugstores, food, wine and hardware stores... This is a snippet of what so many are experiencing around the world but we feel lucky to be where we are, surrounded by nature and close to the ocean.
What is your personal state of mind ?
These are very strange times. Everything is very quiet. We can’t go out and meet people. There is more time to think and reflect since the phone doesn't ring anymore.
So in the midst of all of this, apart from the constant worry in the back of our minds, this moment is quite peaceful. All of this feels very serene, there is a certain calmness in all of this since everybody is in the same boat. It feels as if nature and the planet is taking a deep breath. Finally a break from human beings.
Does the lockdown experience have an impact on your art ?
This situation has made it impossible for us to make appointments and show or sell our work.
I had a big show lined up for July in Regensburg, Germany with 25 of my pieces but the gallery is of course closed and might not reopen again.
Do you practice your art during the lockdown ? if yes, can you tell us about your new pieces ?
We are still able to create a lot, in nature in our studios and on the computer.
Total stillness, the change only happens with the change of the light at a specific time of the day. I can spend hours waiting for this to happen. Colors were not changed on the computer. I try to give the photographs a painting like quality. Earth healing itself.
