Self-taught and self-inspired artist and illustrator Audrey Stohne immerses herself in stories, connections and nature. For her, the essence of being an artist means the creation of joy, identifying moments of escape and peace for her audience.
For this exhibition, Audrey was inspired by different artistic disciplines that illustrated the periods during the COVID-19 and its attendant lockdown. She took this concept and unbundled it into two distinct categories:
In the first, Audrey takes a tool, an environment or an element from the artist’s discipline and enlarges the components, bringing emphasis to their careers and the impending risk to their livelihoods brought about by the commencement of lockdown. Each artist is shown in miniature form as a symbol of their anxiety and the pervasive feelings of being overwhelmed. Their isolation and fear of an unknown future are depicted by their physical separation in the pieces.
The second approach was taken with a far lighter and more endearing note and was encapsulated by the label ‘People’. Different artists were shown in the homes, with their loved ones, but most especially, in the midst of their craft. The tone of this collection is one of optimism, resilience, and perseverance. Here, the expected challenges of an artist persist, but with the understanding that an impervious commitment to creativity will ultimately prevail.