My dearest friend Saule is studying textile art and design. At the moment she is creating her painting model and isolation buddy.

"During these days I missed my old environment, possibilities that Art academy was providing with, spaces and people that surrounded everyday. That's why I decided to create real size buddy, to participate in my daily creating processes.
I'm working with the sheet that my grand grandmother made, it's nice to see the heritage of family and feel the touch of ancestry, it give even more concentration and peacefulness"

CONVERSATIONS OF ISOLATION

I have my Instagram account @peledado where I try to create and put my illustrations . But when you have an office job you do not always find time for your hobbies and desires.

Anyway, there comes the day, when Corona hits and you’re stuck in your home for a long time and suddenly you have all the time for yourself to realize what you want to do and create.
So I decided to make myself a challenge - make one cloud happy each day. That means to create an illustration for clouds. It became more and more interesting when I asked friends and followers to send me cloud pictures. Because why not? It’s interesting for people to have some funny tasks to do and see what happens after they send me the photo. These illustrations become my quarantine project and it’s about how important is to see details around you, how important is to raise your head to the sky even through the window and see beautiful surroundings where you live. Moreover, the main question is — what story the object can tell you? Why clouds are as they are and what meaning can it create?

Short talk about Dovile recent project:

I chose to show observations, projects and activitys that my friends doing in the isolation. I think it is the best way to reflect what is their need and approach as an artist to the current situation. I also put a few inspiring projects and my own insight to it:)

Short talk with Justas about his view on current situation

LET the CLOUDS DRIFT by
Coffee still beckons
Yet not 2nd cup
Setting an intention, not so easy
Yin , now a u tube session
The hours roll on, spring still here
Our humanity humbled, we are one
There are cowards hoarding, running..
Selfless heros embracing decent outcomes
I focus on sameness, taking nothing for granted
The blossoms, birds and sky remain calm
They know... and nonetheless, bear their course
As we must..
Together in contemplation

//

I wonder if Mona Lisa's
smile has changed.
She's alone in the Louvre
with shuttered doors,
silent echos in hallways,
just cameras and alarms,
maybe some guards.
I wonder if she knows of fear,
and illness, or life cut short--
or what we are afraid of
leaving behind,
how many undone wishes,
or how many times we loved,
or were loved, merely half-way.
We may resist a too-early
succumbing of the end,
and then--I wonder,
do we ever decide, truly,
what it is we will do with
reclaimed time?
Imagining the empty space,
we're in front of Mona Lisa,
quiet ghost whispers all around her,
gazing into her eyes, feeling her smile,
and then-- we ask--what, then?
The museum cannot open
at this time.

//

How Things Have Changed

We get up early, exercise, listen to the news, read, pray
We put things in someone else's hands
We have to
Our systems of control are useless
But now, I do puzzles for 30 minutes.
I get a dopamine dump.

We go for our morning walk
Our habit since the start
But now we see no children walking to school
But rather many new adults, taking walks, social distancing, most with masks
We say hello to strangers
We notice the blooms of spring more intensely
They cheer us

We prepare our weekday oatmeal
With nuts and bananas and raisins
It’s like a sundae
Only now I add Nutella instead of peanut butter
I need a little fun

We work on our projects from home
This has been our habit for
They keep us busy years now
I plan future seminars and zoom classes
I analyze data on growth faltering in an undeveloped country
But now I also work on making cloth masks from tea towels
I am proud of my own design
I feel like I am helping

We go for our second, longer walk, rain or shine
We used to go to the gym and the pool
Those are closed now
We walk through a beautiful little park
We try to focus on the beauty
We greet more strangers with our masks and from a distance
We are getting exercise
That helps us feel safer

We listen to beautiful music while we make and eat lunch
We take naps
Charlie can sleep anywhere
I listen to podcasts and try to power down
It helps me feel informed

The late afternoons are mostly for fun
We bought a keyboard and are trying to learn
It is more frustrating than we anticipated
I made cookies for the first time in 30 years
It was my sister’s recipe
They were awesome
We feel productive

We watch the news while we eat dinner.
No, I have not turned into a good cook.
The news used to be about politics.
Now it is all COVID
Like all the hospitals in New York
COVID, COVID, COVID
We wish we could help
We might be able to give blood

After the news our building has a clap fest
We clap for our wonderful staff
We clap for first responders
We clap for essential workers

Our greetings with neighbors are longer
We have more time

We zoom my siblings and spouses weekly
We used to see them every two years or so
We laugh and tell jokes and share funny emails
We love them all so much!
It is good to laugh!
It comforts us to know they are safe

Random chats