Quarantine Art May 2020, then fully realized and updated July 25, 2020

Original 9”x12” mixed media collage on bristol board, professionally matted and framed

2020 was both a physically and mentally challenging year that had me questioning everything about who I am and what I want out of life. The year began with me questioning my VA healthcare and medications then ended with revelations about my caregiver and marriage. So, throughout quarantine and beyond, 2020 was a time of hard realizations, turmoil and upheaval, but also a time of personal revaluation, healing, and growth. I found out, the hard way, that I am perfect the way I am and who I am through the love and support of my immediate and extended family and friends who have stood by me during this awful time and have shown me that selfless love does truly exist and I am worthy of it. Created from the pages of the vintage coffee table book, “The World of Beretta - An International Legend” by R. L. Wilson, Random House New York, 2000, this intimate self portrait belies how I have been surviving quarantine: through art, slowly, purposefully, filled with military bearing and training (hence the reference to my firearms training) and, yes, one day at a time.