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From the first mandated shelter in place day on March 17, 2020, through the official lifting of restrictions on June 15, 2021, Bay Area artist Elizabeth Addison publicly posted her daily artwork and writing as a new series, "Pandemania Days."
Now Livermore Arts is presenting the collection in its online gallery, which it maintains as well as its physical gallery at the Bankhead Theater.
For 456 days, the Berkeley artist posted a unique work of art along with a journal entry on Facebook and Instagram. Most of the works are digital mandalas with a botanical theme, inspired by her daily pandemic walks.
"I took photographs on these walks — stopping to appreciate the micro and the macro — these images were the raw materials for my daily creative journey," Addison explained.
Back in her studio she used apps and other tools to play with the images and collect her thoughts to create what she calls "digital assemblages."
"Below the surface, each of these works documents a day in my life," she said. "They also respond to aspects of our confounding times — musing on issues both big and small, ranging from California's native flora, invasive species and the cosmos to Covid-19, the climate crisis, social upheaval and environmental equity."
Addison noted that she honed and learned new digital skills. Some of the mandalas came together in minutes while others took a few hours of creating multiple versions with up to 15-20 variations. The series has approximately 4,000 mandalas.
Her daily posts drew a large number of followers, which Addison said surprised her.
"Many expressed deep gratitude for the daily posts," she said. "Some said it got them through intense aspects of lockdown and the pandemic."
She ended the series June 15 to work on other projects with the caveat that the pandemic was not over, only this phase.
Addison's works are included in numerous private and public collections. Most of the artwork in "Pandemania Days" is available for sale in four sizes of prints on museum quality 100% rag paper. See the exhibit at livermorearts.org/online-gallery.
