Day  will battle cry

Will Day - "BATTLE CRY"

This painting was a true test of letting go and being in the moment. I painted over this piece many times erasing the negative emotions in order to uncover my raw feelings of the day. I titled this composition, "Battle Cry" because in this period of the Corona Virus, we are all battling some type of fight and therefore changing our daily routines. I wanted this piece to reflect the struggles of our time but also a thread in the idea of HOPE which comes through in white pockets glaring through the canvas. I first painted this large cotton canvas on the floor which allowed me to walk on it, mix colors and erase marks with my feet and hands. I am at ease when I don't put restrictions on how I paint. As the composition develops, I nailed it to the wall and started to use large foam brushes so that I could move freely from top to bottom. For the first time in my studio, I closed my eyes and let the brush dictate the moves. I wanted to let my Battle cry sing to the world and not force the mark making. This "Battle Cry" is a Call to Action for all of humanity to look inside our souls and find ways to connect to one another no matter what the political, religious or economical outcomes might be around us. The scale of this painting is really important as well because I wanted it to feel larger than life.

The coronavirus has certainly impacted my art practice in a dramatic way. I have had to change my routine and learn to create again. This pandemic has put a dark cloud on my inspiration and creativity at times. But I know these struggles will make us all more human., kind and stronger in the end.

Overall, I have felt the weight of the world on me and could not get out of bed to paint. I have bee frozen inside which caused some major problems in my studio and my family life

I did not have the same passion and drive to be an artist during this crisis. But as I reflect back to when I started my art career in 2008, I realized that I have already lived through one of the other greatest economic downturns in our life. We got through this crisis as well with plenty of pain, suffering, and resilience. That experience from 2008 is helping me day to day as a reminder that there is HOPE for the future.

COVID -19 has allowed me to reflect on why I am painting and what mark do I want to make in this world. I strive to remain true to my voice in the studio, by staying real, forward-thinking, and humbling myself. But this crisis has allowed me to explore what it feels like to fail again, experiment, learn, listen, be resilient and love my family again..

Viral Influence: Art in the Time of Coronavirus
  1. Janelle Anderson - "Praise God Always," "Empty Pool," and "Closed for Season"
  2. Brenda Biondo - "Modality no. 30"
  3. Carol Bivins - "Incognito" and "Do Not Go Gently"
  4. John Boak - "Ookayama"
  5. Mark Bueno - "Everything Is Going To Be OK"
  6. Evan Colbert - "Interstellar Overdrive"
  7. Evan Colbert - "Covid Descending"
  8. Robin Cole - "Quarantine: Bread and Yeast"
  9. Robin Cole - "Quarantine: Hair Scissors"
  10. Robin Cole - "Quarantine: Coffee"
  11. Will Day - "BATTLE CRY"
  12. Irene Delka McCray - "Elders"
  13. Rebecca DiDomenico - "Biology of A Wall"
  14. Lisa DiMichele and Katie Caron - "Novel Landscape 2"
  15. Chapin Dimond - " Game Puzzle #11"
  16. Chapin Dimond - "Steady Rock- Best Man Cufflinks"
  17. Nanette Fazio - "Six Feet"
  18. Sharon Feder - "Next No. 19"
  19. Kendra Fleischman - "The Transmogrifier"
  20. Kelly Frimel - "Stay Home"
  21. Jane Gaona - "Covid-19"
  22. Kelsey McDonald Gibson - "Street Series Pt. 1"
  23. Joyce Gold - "Penguin Onions"
  24. Susan Goldstein - "Covid-19: Inside Out Series"
  25. Jaquetta Green - "Essentials"
  26. Tina Hagerling - "Pandemic Portraits"
  27. Nancy Johnson - "Fragmented"
  28. Brenda Jones - "Corona tool kit"
  29. Jeffrey Keith - "Gray Painting @ 10:51pm"
  30. Jim Leggitt - "COVID Stories"
  31. Veronica Love - "The Woman That Makes Her Mad" and "The Last Tea"
  32. Kenneth Macy - "Social Distance Mask"
  33. Maureen May - "Unobtainable Intimacy" and "Treasure Hunter's Dream"
  34. Janice McDonald - "Collage Diary"
  35. Scout Patterson - "Breathing"
  36. Mark Penner-Howell - "COVID19 Portraits"
  37. Julie Puma - "#Thankshealthheros" and "Art Imitates Life"
  38. Roger Reutimann - "Nature Always Wins"
  39. Maureen Ruddy Burkhart - "Isolation Flora Spring"
  40. Conn Ryder - "Sleep Deprived"
  41. Eleanor Sabin - "Blushing ZZ"
  42. Eleanor Sabin - "Cry for Help in Blue"
  43. Tom Sarmo - "Tall House"
  44. Kevin Sloan - "Isolated Bouquet"
  45. Xiaoxiao Strong - "The Line We Walk"
  46. Sandy Toland and Nikki Evans - "Exquisite Corpse #3," "Exquisite Corpse #8," "Exquisite Corpse #7"
  47. Robin Whatley - "Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood," "Shelter in Place," and "Time for Self Reflection"
  48. Meghan Wilbar - "Bridge"
  49. Talia Swartz Parsell - "Time For Change"