By Talor Kimble
From full-time work to full-time rest, anxiety and isolation promptly made the human race their full-time job. To combat these mental atrocities during the coronavirus quarantine, people rose up to connect with their creative side. From knitting virus-themed blankets and shawls to creating natural dyes from the very nature growing in our backyards, the Santa Cruz Mountains community bloomed with creativity.
Artists of various experience and talents emerged from the SLV to spread their enthusiasm and knowledge. In a plea for isolated sanity, neighbors bonded over their artistic journeys (virtually of course) and happily shared ideas, techniques, and praise. Some of the crafts emerging from our mountains include: water-coloring made from flower petals, bonsai tree nurturing, basket weaving, mask-making, embroidery, knitting, painting in various mediums, collaging, and gardening.
In a small community of their own, several SLV residents happily shared their current and completed art projects. Rebecca Jaroslovsky expressed herself with spray paint using unique methods. She transformed drab garbage bins into colorful pieces of art, adding personality to the home. Experimenting with wood, Rebecca spray-painted various shades of blue onto the wood canvas and used spray-painted wood blocks to imprint unique black and pink designs. This intriguing piece, humorously named Angry Menstruation, catches the eyes and smiles of those who see it.
Thomas Smith, another imaginative mountain member, engrossed himself in the world of Lichtenberg wood burning and epoxy resin crafting. Thomas started (safely) experimenting with fractal burning, where high-voltage electricity and conductive solutions burn lightning-like images onto wood—a truly mesmerizing sight. In another craft, Thomas poured epoxy resin over empty bullet casings—forming a cube of glimmering gold shells—and drilled holes into the top to create a pencil holder fit for a gun-loving friend.
Tapping into her curiosity about the various forms of collage and her own personal creative flare, Samantha Lynch wove her first steps into the world of art. Currently working on two different pieces, she used her fascination with marine life to inspire her image choices; while also including images of plants, people, and various other objects. One of Samantha’s pieces involves weaving strips of two different images together to create a single interlaced photo, while the other piece consists of pasting precision-cut images onto an acrylic-painted portion of wood. “I don’t have certain skills,” Samantha explained, “but I have an idea… I think my imagination can do something like this.”
Her words resonate with people in the SLV community as well as with people around the world during this global pandemic. Everyone has the imagination to apply themselves artistically, but many people express that they feel discouraged because they lack certain skills that would make them a “great” artist. In this time of isolation, expressing ourselves is key to surviving mentally and spiritually, no matter the artistic skill level. In the Santa Cruz Mountains, our community firmly expresses their creativity and supports their fellow neighbors—truly embodying what it means to be a local artist.
