Google or hashtag the words #pandemicpainting anywhere on the web and the obvious shows up. Paintings of people in masks, rolls of toilet paper and bottles of Purell blanket the internet.

As an artist, one is always on the lookout for calls for art from organizations or galleries where their type of art may be a good fit. Lately, I’ve noticed there are calls for art from galleries requesting creative works “made in the time of Corona.” My guess is that paintings of self-portraits of the artist in a mask, a lonely figure in a window and works depicting a mountain of vaccine vials are those that made the cut.

And that’s okay because I suppose those images are what I think of, too, when I think of “pandemic.”

But it made me wonder if my own works created during this time could ever be considered or qualify as “pandemic.”

Because when I think of other artist’s works I’ve seen created during this time, I have to ask…aren’t paintings that depict the delicate wings of a ladybug or ones that portray a cozy and colorful outdoor cafe—technically considered…“pandemic paintings?”

Of course they are.

A luscious and dramatic seascape painted in oil, a lively bunch of golden retriever puppies painted in acrylic, a toddler splashing in to a puddle with shiny red boots in watercolor—these uplifting types of art bring us close to and remind us of the simple pleasures in life. The moments that we could still enjoy and cling to in a time when the world felt so unsafe.

It got me thinking what my own take is on the pandemic in my art. A beagle wearing a mask? A kitten playing with a roll of toilet paper? (I actually think the latter, even both, would be quite cute but I digress.)

When I thought about it, the following artwork of this Saint Bernard is probably the closest I will ever get to having an artistic response to a current event. But I like to think it’s more than that.

Sometimes there is simple meaning to my paintings. A dog in a chef hat is often just simply that. Created just for the joy and fun of it.

But this one, “A Barrel Full of Hope” was painted for anyone in need of rescue. From a toxic relationship, from waking up in pain or from anything that one needs to be free of…including, I suppose…a pandemic.