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To say that the Coronavirus has changed the way we live is an understatement.
In January, no one had ever heard of the term, "Social Distancing".
Now, it's the new norm and there's no telling how long it will be in effect.
These days, a simple walk in the park is no longer possible. You have to go out of your way to stay out of the way.
I totally get it.
But I certainly don't like it.
Personally, we have been lucky so far, able to avoid the ravages of the Coronavirus. Like so many others, we have abided by the rules, sheltering ourselves at home and when we do go out, keeping our six-foot distance from others.
I thought to myself, "Why not somehow portray this in a painting and do it in what I think is now my own unmistakeable style?" The man in the bowler hat, my on-going homage to the Belgian surrealist master, Rene Magritte, would anchor the right portion of the painting. And in a similar style, a woman with her blond hair braided and in all black occupies the left portion of the canvas.
There is a noticeable gap between them.
They each stand with their backs to the viewer, so that you, as well as they are all staring out at some body of water and a distant horizon.
Though the sky is blue, the moon is out - another Magritte reference. It could be dawn. It could be dusk.
There's a light on the horizon, perhaps signaling that better times are just ahead.
I like to think so.
When you see this painting for real, it is quite striking. It's 36" x 48". The two figures really stand out against the background.
It's a painting that had Social Distancing never entered our vocabulary - if the Coronavirus had never come our way - would still be quite striking.
But with this damn virus, it has a whole new meaning.
I hope you all are well and healthy and that we can return to some sort of normalcy in the very near future.
Thanks for reading!

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Also, if my prices are keeping you from purchasing anything, know that you can order prints of my work on Artfully Walls. You can also order prints as well as get my artwork put onto a variety of items like iPhone covers, pillow throws, tote bags, greeting cards, coffee cups, shower curtains and a wide variety of other items via http://tom-blood.pixels.com. As if that weren't enough, more items are now available on Vida on an even wider variety of items - from umbrellas to yoga mats, clothing and jewelry to household items. I also invite you to follow me on Instagram at www.instagram.com/tomblood_artist to see work in progress from start to finish!

Previously, I did a painting called Outside In where a couple was dining indoors and clouds drifted through the window, with one of them enveloping the ladies head.
I decided to do another painting called Inside Out where a couple would be dining outdoors, set amongst trees. I decided to hang a chandelier from a tree branch to add a little touch of elegance and the unexpected.
With this painting (like any other) I dealt with a number of issues from concept through completion. I often use an x-acto knife as my eraser, literally scraping the paint off the canvas when I see issues versus simply painting over what's there - (I do a lot of that, too.)
The couple were a challenge for me - too often I think the people in my paintings look more like cartoon art. I've decided that's okay - it's just my own style though I wish I could give more depth and character to all of my characters.
There's a lot of detail in this painting - right on down to the food on their plates. But there's also a lot of interpretive images where branches and leaves are hinted at but not really defined.
This particular painting may not be in my normal genre - yet it still has a look that makes it uniquely my own.
I enjoy painting them, even if nobody else enjoys viewing them!

I've been a part of the Pixels community since about mid-June.
I've had more than 5,000 views of my work - (though I wonder if the majority of those views are coming from robots - especially from Sunnyvale, California that registers about 50-100 new views daily)
I've tried some initial email marketing and that, for the most part was a failure.
I've entered a variety of contests. Joined three appropriate groups and followed others in those groups.
And to date, I've sold a handful of items - an iPhone case, some pillows and tote bags.
What am I doing wrong?
Granted, there are millions of pieces of art on this website. I have seen some truly fabulous works - in all media and in a wide variety of subject matter.
I guess that's the frustration that so many artists experience. We love to create, we love to push things out to the public and say, "Look at me", but bottom line, art is a tough sell.
Unless you learn how to build a name for yourself and develop an audience of followers, you're just a dime a dozen - if even that.
I'll keep trying.
I just wish more people would start buying.

Well, hello there.
I don't know who you are or how you found me but I'm glad you're taking a few seconds to read these words.
I just joined Pixels.com - I have more than 70 paintings sitting around my house, collecting dust and not being seen by the world.
My subject matter is almost always interesting. My style is pretty distinctive. Most of my painting titles are plays on words.
I'm just now beginning to upload a few and we'll see if anyone is interested in them as potential t-shirts or greeting cards or tote bags or whatever.
I hope you enjoy what you see and I assure you, there is plenty more to come.