A Self-Portrait in Pandemic Times

2021 • 41" x 52" x 5"

Because I have a great new transplanted kidney and am on immunosuppressant drugs, I find myself at the tip-top of Covid-19's "death list." Since I have so much more artwork to finish in my life, the pandemic is real and serious to me.

So, during 2020, I had all necessary food and supplies delivered to my front porch. Unpacking the first 13-bag order, I decided to represent my sequestered year with a self-portrait made from all that packaging.

The portrait: Every morning last year, I came out to the front porch to survey my small part of the street—a few early shift workers still employed, fishing boats headed to the bay, insistent masked joggers and dog-walkers—and to see what was happening in my garden. During this period I had many telephonic Dr. appointments, and called friends and family almost daily. My healthy paranoia still keeps me sanitizing all packages and mail arriving. Creating about 150 new art pieces last year has helped keep the tears and fears minimized.

—Philip Carey (2021)