Today I'm going to deviate a bit from my normal subject matter of art and say a few words about something that is taking up a lot of space in my mind these days. Just a few days ago, I lost a very good friend to Covid while another friend had a mild case and unwittingly passed it on to her father, who subsequently died from it. Yet another friend watched his wife die in a mere 12 days from onset of symptoms. This prompts me to speak out a bit on the subject.
My friend was not one of those who downplayed the seriousness of the pandemic. Because we were both career aviators and used to a lifetime of travel, sometimes to places with less than optimal hygiene and medical services, we were used to the experience of carrying a shot record and having to produce it when entering some countries. I, for one continued to travel throughout Africa, the Middle East and Far East throughout the Ebola, SARS, MERS and numerous other health scares. Because neither I nor anyone we worked or associated with caught any of these diseases, we developed a somewhat cavalier attitude towards the various plagues that we encountered. It seemed that the authorities in the countries we visited had things reasonable well in hand: Temperature checks at airports, medical forms to fill out on landing and of course the ubiquitous "yellow card," the international vaccination certificate. I've carried one since the 1960s and never thought of it as any sort of impingement on my freedom. Some countries simply wouldn't let you in if you didn't have it. That was just the way of the world.
Now, when we are faced with a real pandemic and the death toll still marches on, there appears to be a lot of skepticism among some of the population (worldwide) about the disease and its impact on our individual lives. I say this because although my friend was not a skeptic about Covid and continued to travel and work despite the various lockdowns and cautions in place, he was worried by what he saw on the aircraft in which he was flying. His concern was not with getting through the airport safely, but rather what happened once everyone was on board. He related that numerous passengers would be coughing and sneezing, removing their masks and moving about the cabin during flight. Indeed, we suspect that it was on a flight back from a week of work abroad that he was exposed to the virus. Our occupation (Aviation Safety) is one that allows travel without resorting to quarantine in many countries, which is a blessing and a curse. A blessing, because without the freedom to travel and work in countries all over the world, airline safety might suffer and on a personal level, our income would be compromised. A curse for the same reason, really. Just because you can travel doesn't mean you should. Here's where my friend and I differed. He was willing to roll the dice and keep flying and working despite the restrictions and risk of exposure, whereas I was and still am not willing to risk international air travel. I suppose you can say that I've been brainwashed or given in to the "hype" about Covid, but then I'm alive and well and my friend, who continued to travel, is not. My family is healthy and our life is reasonably close to normal, while his has been plunged into sadness. I don't make any judgement here; we all have to walk our own paths. I certainly don't say that the way I've handled it is any better in some respects; I have only had a fraction of the work I could have had because I've restricted myself to working remotely so the income has all but dried up, placing its own stresses on daily life, which I'm sure some of you share.
What dismays me is the way that the deniers, skeptics and let's face it, career troublemakers are making such noise and with the help of social media, getting attention far exceeding that which they deserve. The threat is real, and though we have better defences through vaccination and social distancing, if we ignore the threat and cease to pay attention to the details, we can still be blind-sided by Covid. You may not particularly care if you catch it and die, but the burden and grief you put upon your family and friends is unconscionable.
OK, got that out of my system. On to more pleasant thoughts.
The Guild of Aviation Artists has announced that the Annual Exhibition will begin on the 19th of July and will be a virtual one this year. The submission 'gate' is open until the 18th of April for those artists who would like to submit works. You can find out more here: https://www.gava.org.uk/?fbclid=IwAR2t2eUGEpARKj3mYhOmguWqbvgimEi0SQOVofrrDnmh2hw5nKvTbszMCDc
You don't have to be a member of the Guild to submit paintings, so if you are an aviation artist, head to the web site above for more details on submission.
I've been bogged down with the day job this week, preparing for the remote audit of an airline in Africa, so haven't had much time at the easel, though I've managed a few brush strokes on the concept sketch for the painting I'm doing for the Tangmere Military Aviation Museum. This little study is only for composition etc., and done in gouache on paper. The final work will be in acrylics on canvas. (For those "rivet counters" out there, I know that the Donaldson speed record Meteor was an F4 and this preliminary sketch is of an F3. Just using it for ideas. I'm also aware that the proportions of the hangars [Type T2] are not quite right either. That's why I play around with these things before getting down to the final painting.)
Preliminary study for commissioned painting for Tangmere Museum.
While museums and such are preparing to open their doors to the paying public in the foreseeable future, there are still some online events that might be worth your while:
The Tate is preparing to open their J.M.W Turner exhibition when we're let out of our cages, and in the meantime have some articles on the artist available here: https://www.tate.org.uk/tate-etc/issue-50-autumn-2020/turners-modern-world-jenny-uglow?utm_source=emarsys&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CRM_Apr_w2_Turner_GetToKnow_Engaged_NoPrices&sc_src=email_2803386&sc_customer=967112&sc_lid=183455195&sc_uid=6ekkd9Ha9N&sc_llid=27723&sc_eh=8e3caf4a356c9d271
The Mall Galleries in London has the 209th exhibition of the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours coming up in May, which you can preview here: https://www.mallgalleries.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/royal-institute-painters-water-colours-209th-exhibition?fbclid=IwAR0WgBU0dE_8NKpBxBo3wg9tqqRaEg-Tgd9_xPDB4c2BQelEcYjdN9T5xEA
Stella Grace Lyons continues here Art history talks with a three part series in May on how to look at nude paintings: https://www.facebook.com/events/1901160093371235/?acontext=%7B%22event_action_history%22%3A[%7B%22mechanism%22%3A%22search_results%22%2C%22surface%22%3A%22bookmark%22%7D]%7D
And of Course the Guild of Aviation Artists has the Annual (online) exhibition coming up in July: https://www.facebook.com/events/495546358560454/?acontext=%7B%22event_action_history%22%3A[%7B%22mechanism%22%3A%22search_results%22%2C%22surface%22%3A%22bookmark%22%7D]%7D
Here's hoping that we're let off the leash soon and can get out and about. I, for one, am looking forward to some sketching days and other opportunities for plein air painting and drawing.
Keep safe and "watch your six"