Click on each thumbnail to view a larger image. Be sure to click through all of the pages!
Interested in participating in our Art from a Social Distance gallery? Click here for more info!
If you are interested in purchasing a piece, please contact us.
Notes from the Artists
TIM MILLER – “Like many photographers living through the lockdown, I saw an opportunity to document. On walks with my dogs, I captured photos of chalk drawings, messages of hope written on windows and business signs, taped off park equipment, and many other effects from the pandemic. These images are a small collection from a larger project I will be putting into a book titled, “Yes, We Have Toilet Paper”.
Check out more of Tim’s work on his website and Instagram.
DANYELLE YODER – “This is one of the paintings I finished in quarantine. I have been working on filling my own walls and painting things that have meaning to me. This particular painting is of my childhood toy from Germany, where I was born. I’m happy to have it on the wall before my kids break the real toy!”
JENNIFER BUSS – “I started painting in my teens but took a twenty year break to be a wife and mother. All my knowledge on technique, style, and art history comes from self-teaching. I love Renaissance and Impressionist art, but prefer to paint in a more expressive/contemporary style.”
Check out more of Jennifer’s work on her website and Facebook.
CYNTHIA KING – “As an artist, my work often addresses different social issues such as homelessness and aging. This pandemic has become a global issue and as with so many, a major concern for me. This concern and fear has lead to this as well as other sculptural pieces. This pandemic will always be a part of our world history and I hope my pieces will remind those today and years to come the devastation of this pandemic.”
You can find more of Cynthia’s work on Facebook and Instagram.
REBECCA JUSTICE-SCHAAB – “Just like everyone else, I’ve stayed home in order to avoid the Coronavirus. I’ve never been one to ever get bored or have nothing to do. My home studio offers enough space to have several projects going on at the same time. I just go from table to easel, or projects in progress on the floor.”
You can find Rebecca’s work on her website and Instagram.
BOB CROSS – “2020 has brought an interesting winter and spring. It’s been a long time since I have watched or listened to the news, and I find it easy to focus on the Dionysian rather than the Apollonian aspects of life in Northern Indiana.”
REBECCA STOCKERT – “I live and work in Fort Wayne, Indiana. I teach Art History and Art Appreciation at Ivy Tech Community College and do freelance teaching of art to people of all ages, all over the Midwest. One of my many other day jobs is being the owner of Cat People Press.
My work explores our world through narrative illustration; topics that interest me include feminism, sustainability, environmentalism, and the lives of cats. I often use nature imagery as a springboard for exploring these ideas, especially the natural flora and fauna of the Midwest. As well, I enjoy using imagery from popular culture for reference and for the sake of humor.”
DANI KIEFER – “My name is Dani Kiefer and I am a graphic designer, printmaker, and painter. I live on my family’s homestead farm with my husband and my two daughters.
I capture the fleeting moments that catch my eye: the seasons of life, seasons of motherhood, seasons of growth, death, and renewal, and seasons of childhood. I am seeking to see the beauty in the every day, the small, fleeting moments that pass by unseen until you pause and really look. This pause of regular life is giving me the gift of time to really see and take in my surroundings and capture the moments daily. Creating art during this time has been a great joy and comfort and I’m grateful.
I received a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design and Photography from the University of Saint Francis in 1999. Upon graduation, I moved to Chicago and began designing exhibits and marketing materials for the Field Museum of Natural History. I continued my career in Chicago at the Chicago Botanic Garden and the Lincoln Park Zoo where my brand design for the Pritzker Family Children’s Zoo was awarded First Place by the American Association of Museums.
I have been an art teacher at Emmanuel St. Michael Lutheran School (grades 4th through 8th) and currently am a freelance graphic designer and studio artist.”
ANNE ELISABETH HOGH – “In her hands, the world takes on the shapes of the sea and sky. It is blue and green and washed in colors of the earth.
A native of Denmark, AE has returned to her homeland after spending 25 years in Chicago near Lake Michigan. In both locales, she has made nature the centerpiece of her work.
And yes, she has a technical degree in design from Milan, and a keen understanding of proportion and symmetry, but she also has complex and emotional artwork themes gained from motherhood, the rhythms of Chicago blues music, and the random patterns of raindrops and snowdrifts against the windows. Her observations of nature have a permanent place in her heart.
She reflects, “After having spent most of my life around the world, I have returned to the place where I grew up in Denmark. The nature and the sea, the sky and the colors are the window to the soul of my paintings. She adds, “The paintings, with their immense changing of color, is what makes them ever-changing. They are not what you see, but what they make you feel.”
KAREN STARN – “I am a local artist and member of the Garrett Museum of Art and Artlink. My time in the studio is limited during this pandemic because I am busy taking care of my husband. He is healing from a broken leg and taking treatments for cancer. I am showing my work on social media and framing work I did before the pandemic set in. Hopefully I can start teaching my classes again.”
SHARON ZYCH – “A while back, I took photos of my daughter’s barn. I loved that barn. It has since blown down by a great wind. I decided to do a watercolor of it. I am thinking of doing a watercolor selfie. I have started the layout. I met with my watercolor friends in a parking lot. We put our cars in a square to practice social distancing. Next time, we will bring our paints.”
KELLY SHOEMAKER – “I live in rural Indiana with my husband and three children. My favorite medium is oil paint. I like to focus on creating images that tell a story about the life of the subject. Some experiences in life change us, or leave their mark, and those are the stories I strive to tell.”
You can find Kelly’s work on Etsy, Facebook, and Instagram.
CINDY GUZIK – “I have been interested in art since I was a child. As an elementary education teacher, I didn’t have much time to pursue my personal interests, other than projects with my class. After I retired, I started taking classes at the FWCS Neighborhood Connection Adult Education Program with Leslie White. Through these classes I’ve been able to explore new techniques with drawing and watercolor. Most of my work is rural landscape scenes or still life, but I am starting to attempt some portraits. During the Covid-19 crisis, I’ve been exploring more drawing endeavors as well as continuing with my varied watercolor painting projects.”
LINDA FLATLEY – “During this time, I have been trying new techniques and taking drawing lessons on YouTube.”
BETTY-LEE HEPWORTH – “Living in the West and Midwest, Betty-lee Hepworth, FAIA, believes that within every moment there is a chance to capture a changing part of life. To her, drawing is one way to focus on the fine details of an experience that become apparent through thought and reflection. Drawing is a way to see what one sees, to smell what one sees, to touch what one sees, and to taste what one sees. It is a way to bring all the senses to a meaningful focus and to include the rich choices that are available.”
SUZANNE SCHUCKEL – “I have spent the last two months doing commissioned paintings. It has kept me very busy. I have enjoyed learning about the stories behind all of my paintings. The workman I have been doing them for has traveled all over the world. I have been painting her memories.”
ANDREW MORRIS – “With my paintings, I have been working on placing prophetic visions within multi-perspective cityscapes. When I go through walks downtown at night, I like to take my glasses off. Because I cannot see things clearly without my glasses, I see the visual elements of the city without trying to absorb all of the detail. Lights are no longer street lamps; they become bright, radiant circles.
In this painting, I employed that visual effect with the entire color spectrum. It produced an interesting rainbow composition that I thought was useful for combining imagery from prophecy with that of the city streets.
The sleeping lion cub on the right represents Judah in the time of King David. While it sleeps, the cub is protected by a Golden Eagle, which is symbolic of the spirit of Jehovah. The crown nearby is too big for the cub and lies in wait for Shiloh. The skulls nearby represent the kings of Israel. The other animals in the foreground represent some of the lost tribes of Israel; their animal references come from Jacob’s blessing of his sons in the book of Genesis. Above the city, Jesus, followed by the armies of the heavens, rides in conquest to liberate God’s people from the destructive governments of the world at the time of Armageddon.
HAILEY SUEOKA – “This mixed media print (ink and liquid acrylic) is inspired by the story of Lilith and the story of Eve. According to Jewish mythology, Lilith was Adam’s first wife, created from the Earth as equals. Lilith did not want to submit to or be dominated by Adam, as he felt he was superior. Instead of allowing the relationship to progress, Lilith flew from the Garden of Eden to live among the demons and all the others that did not conform to God’s will, and in her case, man’s will. Since her descent, lore has been written and stories were told of her becoming a demon. She is blamed for leading righteous men astray as a seductive succubus, causing them to have sex dreams and nocturnal emissions. She is blamed for the death of babies and mothers as part of God’s ultimatum for leaving Eden.
Eve is Adam’s second wife. She was not created from the Earth as Adam was, but instead from his rib, indebting her to him forever, and as such, women to men forever. She was his subservient, just like God and Adam intended.
‘She’ll Thank Me Later’ depicts both Lilith and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Lilith is posed as a seductress, knowing she is nude and fully aware of the Knowledge of Good and Evil Eve will gain as soon as her snakes tempt her into eating the forbidden fruit. Eve is picking fruit from the tree, hearing whispers in her ear from Lilith’s snake, tempting her to disobey God and become her own master. She is unaware of her nudity and is living in blissful ignorance in the Garden, being shackled to her husband by his offering that she did not ask for.
When she eats the fruit, her eyes will be opened, she will be cast from God’s graces, she will feel pain and famine and hardship, but she will thank Lilith later for her newfound free will and independence.”
MADELYN TOWNSEND – “Being stuck inside has me dreaming about travel and adventure even more than I usually do. This piece is inspired by my love of castle architecture and my desire to explore the mystery and romantic beauty of ancient structures.
Until I can get out to see some castles for myself, I’m imagining the possibilities in my paintings, and striving to grow my skill as an artist.”
You can find Madelyn on Instagram and Facebook.
ROSALEE HARVEY – “I am a fine artist and graduate from the University of Saint Francis. I was in ballet and other dance classes since I was five years old. I still find myself taking dance classes into my adult years. I can express myself the most as a dancer and artist. I decided to combine the two during a sketch study of the Fort Wayne Ballet. I held onto those sketches for three years and then one day, decided to turn them into acrylic paintings.
I finally had time to work on art when my day job closed down during the quarantine. With much free time and a thanks to the dancers in previous years, I created this ballerina art. The dancers were in motion and my paintings reflect on these swift two-to-five minute poses I originally sketched. These times call for artists to bring out the most in their creative work!”
ERIK MINTER – “I received my Bachelors of Fine Arts at the Pratt Institute of Brooklyn, NY in 2000. I’ve returned largely back to painting where I play on bold, vibrant color combinations often met with sky-tone gradients that weave between graphical shapes and fluid-like splashes. Combining abstraction with surreal figuration, I moved from more or less digital drawings and photographic manipulations from when I was in the Commercial Design world, back to paint and the physical surface, seeking to capture the emotion of experiences, either lived or dreamt of, all expressing my feelings and curiosity about life. With different layers that unfold over time, each work gives way to new discoveries. My technique is both premeditated and unplanned, channeling me to find and explore pleasures, ironies, and the mutable and plastic nature of existence.
Aside from working out some new pieces for possible upcoming virtual shows, as well as a commission piece, I’ve been trying to get outside and work on my yard as well as dispose of items that I just don’t need anymore. It’s a great decluttering opportunity at this time, and I’m feeling lighter and clearer in my thoughts, as long as I don’t follow up on the news too much.”
You can find Erik’s work on his website and Instagram.
KRISTIN BOYD – “Former graduate of Garrett in 2000, art was one of my favorite subjects. Life has kept me busy, so drawing was set to the wayside until recently. The events we are dealing with now has allotted me the time to dabble in some of the things I loved and have not been able to do for many years. The picture you see is the first I have drawn in almost six years. It made me remember how much I loved to draw and also made me realize I need to take the time to continue to do these things in the future.”
CHRISTY SCOTT ARBOGAST – “I am a modern day embroidery artist and photographer. I’ve found a happy medium blending my two passions. I always feel photographs have so much more of the story to tell and using my embroidery gives me the chance to continue that story.
This story is one of reality and the surreal. The story these days has been somewhat surreal; we are living through a reality that we’ve never seen before. The one sentence that I kept hearing people say those first few days of empty shelves and everything closing was, “this is all so surreal.” So, that is the title of my quarantine art series.
During this time of quarantine, my art has been my way to express the surreal nature that I feel as well as being something of normalcy for me to hold onto and control when so much is out of our control right now.”
You can find Christy’s work on Facebook and Instagram.
STEPHANIE WYSONG – “I am new to the art world. I try to photograph the beauty that I see in the world from my perspective. I try to create my art when I get the opportunity. Looking forward to the stay at home order to be lifted so I can get out into the world. Be safe, stay healthy, and God bless!”
MARK GOODHEW – “I have been a nature photographer since I studied graphic design and art in college. Then I would spend a day shooting pictures with film and another day in a darkroom seeing what I actually captured.
Digital photography has opened new ways to shoot photographs, manipulate, and enhance imagery. I enjoy exploring the technology and the new ways it allows me to present the images I shoot. Enhancing colors, contrasts, and using photo software tools to create “Photo Paintings,” as I refer to them. This is a new kind of medium I am continually exploring and learning about every day.
A new direction of mine is more abstract photography. Looking at smaller areas of my photographs, cropping, and combining those areas into more abstract designs.
You can find Mark’s work on his website.
KENTON YODER – “My decision to try a new type of painting is actually sort of coincidental with the quarantine. I haven’t painted much this winter and just got the urge the last couple weeks. This style is very organic because you get to make only the most basic choices about how things will turn out. I have found that I enjoy that type of work a lot, just being one with the tools, not necessarily the master.”
You can find Kenton’s work on his website and Instagram.
SUSAN PERRISH – “I have been at the easel daily since the stay-at-home orders here in Michigan, and I am taking the opportunity to experiment and play with my art. We are in the midst of huge change in the world now, where everything is uncertain. I guess I am channeling that in a way – allowing myself to roll with the uncertainty as I apply paint to the canvas – having trust that there is much to learn from the experience.”
You can find Susan’s work on her website.
ASTIN GREEN – “I’ve been passing the time by upcycling vintage books and decoupaging any item I can get my hands on.”
You can find Astin’s work on Instagram.
KAYLIE SNODGRASS – “I am lucky enough to still be working at this time. Most of this work is Can Art and Merchandise Art for some of my clients!”
Kaylie’s work can be found on Instagram at @Rough_draftco and @kay.in.your.lane.
PATRICK + VALERIE HUNTER – “We are lucky enough to have a spacious studio in our home. We have had very little trouble being homebound and enjoy all the extra time we have in the studio. There are many variations of Encaustic painting; it will take us a while to try them all.”
SPENCER SAUNDERS – “These are some silly illustrations and hopefully you enjoy them. I’ve been working from home and when I’m not doing that, I’m doing some combination of eating, reading, talking to friends on the phone, playing video games, and sleeping.”
You can find Spencer’s work on his website and Instagram.
CYNTHIA GABBARD – “I have felt so fortunate to have had my art to turn to as a means of expressing and working through the many emotions that this time of Covid-19 social distancing have evoked in me. My art has also been a positive, productive, and pleasurable way to pass the time.”
KAYLA BELL – “I handle a lot of difficult things in life by capturing my emotions and thoughts through a camera lens. Photography has always been a way for me to escape and show how I feel when I’m too afraid to say it out loud. It’s not always negative; I also enjoy sharing things that bring me joy or excitement as well.
Shortly after businesses closed down and the social distancing mandate was put into effect, my best friend turned 27. We were able to capture the tears and frustration from not being able to celebrate as well as the excitement of being alive for 27 years through this photoshoot: “It’s My Party and I’ll Cry if I Want To.” She dressed up, did her makeup, and we decorated a corner of a room to try to bring light to the fact that we couldn’t be surrounded by a group of friends celebrating another birthday. Of course, with that comes the sadness and frustration, cue the tears and destruction of the cake. Yin and Yang, I suppose. I’m just happy to still be able to use my camera and share my photos with everyone digitally during these socially distanced times.”