Sketching the Pandemic Year 2020 week 49

Sketching the Pandemic Year 2020 week 49 November 29-December 5 

‘Richard Avedon’s eye catching posters of the Beatles- created at the height of the band’s fame- became icons of youth culture in the 1960s. This psychedelic portrait of John Lennon (1940-1980)-[ offset lithograph on white wove paper] appeared on the cover of a special issue of Look magazine in 1967 that chronicled changing times in a tumultuous decade.’ 

That is the explanation in the Smithsonian Engagement Calendar 2020 for week 48, and my colorful sketch for the week chronicles the unexpected fun I had with my granddaughters during the ‘shelter at home’ year.  We met via video chats. I quickly learned from them how to use all the different fun features :) We giggled and role played for hours. I am forever grateful for the silver lining that shone through during those dark pandemic days. Even though I am thankful that they are back in school, busy with their lives,  I really miss those video chats and the time we spent together chatting, reading, playing away happily. 

Sketching the Pandemic Year 2020  Video Chat fun by Meera Rao 

 

Sketching the Pandemic Year 2020 Week19

Sketching the Pandemic Year 2020 Week 19  May3-9

We adapted to staying home and mostly making use of online grocery shopping with home delivery. One place we made periodic trips  to was  “Trader  Joe’s”.  Their adherence to health safety measures eased my anxiety a bit about going to the grocery store.  Almost two months into the initial lockdown, for the first time I stood in line socially distanced and masked, waiting for my turn to enter the store. The shadows caught my eye and I quickly sketched the scene not knowing how long this routine was to last ! 

And the sketch ended up in the same week as the photo of the poster by Larry Yangzhou  ‘Casina Jaiteca from the National  Chicano Dcreenprint Taller’ in the Smithsonian Engagement Calendar 2020.  There is a clever word play in the title. : “while casino is Spanish for kitchen, ‘jaiteca’  a neologism pronounced as’high-tech-a’  playfully highlighting the decidedly non high tech kitchen in the picture.” 

Shoppers in Shadow ink and watercolor by Meera Rao