I created the "Crowned Corona" series of portraits after recovering from Covid-19 in March. Although I did not require hospitalization, I was the sickest I’d ever been in my entire life. Once I got back on my feet, I went straight to my art studio. Art has always been therapy for me, a healthy way of coping with difficult emotions and the complexities of life. I had originally intended to create a self-portrait to purge the pain,fear and anguish I experienced from Covid-19 but it turned into something much more.
As I painted a crowned portrait of myself as a survivor, I couldn’t help but draw parallels to another time in my life that was filled with a similar darkness caused by a virus that was not yet understood. I was just a young hospital nurse when the AIDS epidemic broke out. As I started hearing the tragic and courageous stories of healthcare workers dying and fighting on the front lines of Covid-19, I realized I needed to find a way to make a connection with them through art. Memories of burn out, fear, exhaustion and grief flooded my consciousness weaving a common thread shared with those who are currently caring for the sick and dying. I needed to make a connection to front liners and give homage to those we have lost.
The portraits of healthcare workers, both deceased and living, were placed in a grid to symbolize the invisible strength that binds us. In unity we create a more powerful force for the healing of humanity. Each of these workers have been “coronated" with a crown modeled after the old-style nursing caps I wore 35 years ago. The crown symbolizes victory over the corona virus, a nod towards corona’s English translation and a form of well-deserved recognition for the courage and sacrifice it takes to be a healthcare worker on the front lines of a global pandemic.
