The Great American Paint In (R): Artists Sharing Their Pandemic Stories

"We are living history right now. I believe we need to do more to document this unique moment in America, and who better to convey what we all are feeling than our country's greatest artists? It is my hope that in 50 years, art history classes will pull this book off the shelf and understand the deep emotion of this time." - William Weinaug Around the world, many individuals and families have faced isolation due to COVID-19. Our lives have been changed as we face a historical crisis of unprecedented scale. But beauty has also come from this hardship. The Great American Paint In (R) was birthed to allow artists to paint their emotions during the pandemic, capturing this period of history in a unique way - through art. This book curates the products of the Paint In (R), revealing the responses of over 50 artists from across the continent. Artists share their experiences, their losses, and their hopes for the future. In doing so, they demonstrate the real grit and backbone of the American pandemic story. Like so many enduring these difficult times, they discovered a whole new world and a brand "new normal" that allows them to live, work, survive - and, most importantly, create. These stories have been shared by Wekiva Island online, at Gallery CERO, and around the country in several travelling art exhibits. Now, for the first time, they are being brought together in a single volume. Select artists include: Hai-Ou Hou, Olena Babek, Barbara Fox, Jill Stefani Wagner, Paul Schulenburg, Morgan Samuel Price, Kyle Stanley, Raymond Bonilla, Kathleen Dunphy, Jennfer Miller, Michelle Held, David Arsenault, John S Caggiano, Tony D'Amico, Karen Blackwood, Jeanne Rosier Smith, Justin T Worrell, Thomas Kegler, Shawn Krueger, Erik Koeppel, Ken Salaz, Hillary Scott, Thomas Adkins, Michael Orwick, Kim VanDerHoek, Cindy House, George Van Hook, Kim Lordier, Marc R Hansen, Sergio Roffo, Sam Vokey, Mary Erickson, Tom LaRock, Josh Clare, Howard B Friendland, Marc Dalessio, Andrew Orr, Kari Ganoung Ruiz, Charles Muench, Jim McVicker, Trish Coonrod, Joseph Daily, Jeffrey Hayes, Mitch Kolbe, Dogulas Wiltraut, Ray Howard, Nick Patten, Brett Scheifflee, Jeff Gola, Eleinne Basa, Bill Farnsworth, Garin J Baker, and Mary Jane Volkmann.