“Cliff” oil by Karen Doyle 36 x 36
“Art can speak things that can’t always be said with words and helps others to channel their emotions, providing comfort that we are not the only ones feeling a certain way. Being an artist is often a vulnerable path. You make something so deeply personal and then present it with an open heart. Not everyone is so fearless.” D. Fairweather, gallerist
6/21/2020
Thoughts about Reopening
Karen Doyle
What a time this has been! I know we can all say that in so many different ways. For me personally, I’m glad to be done with overseeing three months of online school and keeping track of online dance classes over Zoom. I’ve adjusted to working remotely from home.
Our teams now have weekly Coffee Chats where we catch up on non-work as if we were standing around the virtual water cooler. I’m also very thankful to have clarity that I’ll continue to work remotely for the remainder of the summer, and likely all the way through the fall. I am extremely thankful that I am able to work remotely, and am very appreciative of the measures that Nike is taking to support employees during this time. I know many who are not as fortunate. When our kids return to school is still unclear; so now the districts are beginning to look at options for what comes next.
Today is the first day of summer, and I am thankful for emerging bits of a new normal. Washington County, Oregon where we live entered Phase 1 on June 1st. We were the next-to-last county in the state to enter Phase 1 and begin to reopen. Multnomah County, where much of Portland is located, started to reopen only yesterday. Now, the three counties of the Portland Metro area will move forward together as one, so it will be another three weeks before we progress to Phase 2, assuming all goes okay. Plein Air events that would be going on right now have been canceled – the Lavender Festival and the Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts. Many venues have started to offer online events. Priorities are becoming clearer all of the time – family first.
I haven’t listed any exhibits since March due to cancellations and closures. Fairweather House & Gallery in Seaside reopened on May 15th and is continuing to show my oil paintings. Denise Fairweather has a beautiful showing of the gallery filmed. Pre-COVID circumstances, I had intended to paint for the future shows at the gallery. Instead, I focused on just getting through each day and navigating the constant changes and new information. I consumed more news and podcasts than I did books and audio books, and my fiction reading slowed way down.
This week we planned our first getaway since March. I packed my paints, and yesterday I painted en plein air for the first time this year.
We are wearing masks inside businesses. It is a requirement. I’m pleased with the cautious and data-driven approach that Oregon has taken. Gradually, a new normal emerges. It changes daily, however. We are not in control, the virus is.
I started this post about the reopening of the gallery in Seaside, happy that my work is on display. More and more, I cannot separate my art life from my personal life, my family life. I was able to paint yesterday because the girls were confident and comfortable riding their bikes outside on their own. When I take my paintings out to Seaside, I will take my daughter and a friend. My art cannot be separated from my life, from the reopening and my state of mind. I wanted to publish this today, the first day of summer. Already, it is 9:46pm. Signing off and posting.Take care and stay safe, Karen.
“First blog post in quite awhile. Cases have spiked in Oregon since I wrote this. It was wonderful to get away for a few days and start painting and just enjoy nature, which I love. I hope you enjoy reading about my thoughts on reopening! Feel free to share.” Karen Doyle
Fairweather House and Gallery
612 Broadway St.
SHORE THINGS
Art show and sale
On exhibition through July 30th
Exploring the deep and multifaceted relationship with the sea and shore
Please read more about our gallery, our commitment to NW artists, and our products made by NW hands
https://fairweatherhouseandgallery.com
