The Artists Who Saved My Sanity

Date February 19th, 2024

You never know the blessings that are just around the corner. In 2019, I had started painting again on canvas after many years. I had hired an art coach from California, and he suggested I join a zoom group of artists. I decided to check them out and after a few weeks, ended up joining this zoom group. Around that time, Boom…. Covid enveloped the world.

Little did I know that these artists would enter my life and become friends.

This group consisted of about 10-15 artists from around the world. Some from the USA, some from Europe and myself in Canada. As we were all isolated in our homes because of the pandemic, I found myself painting about 6-7 hours a day with these delightful artists. As we each worked on our respective paintings, we would joke, laugh and visit, sharing what was happening in our daily lives. People would come and go during the day, depending on their other commitments, and time zones. Having the casual freedom to join when it was convenient for each of us, was a delight and I looked forward to joining them, as we developed artistic and friendly relationships.

We occasionally shared screen shots of what we were working on, when we needed a 2nd or 3rd eye to pick up on possible adjustments that would make an improvement. When we as artists, are staring at our paintings for hours at a time, sometimes it helps for others to look at it in a fresh light. We also talked about marketing, painting styles and different aspects of the art world. The information we gathered from each other was very helpful.

This group is still going on to this day.

I became fast friends with Jason, and in 2022 we travelled (and met for the first time) in Italy. We also met Ulisse (for the first time) who lives south of Florence. Anne, from Norway was there previous to my arrival. I still would love to meet Paul and many others from the group, and hopefully someday will.

My Friends, Artists & Creative Lifeline

I truly value the time I have spent with these talented artists, more than they will ever know. I wanted to take this opportunity to write about this experience I have had with them, and to share some of their work with you. These artists are incredibly talented and I am honored to know them.

Below are my artist friends who wanted to be part in this article. I am sharing with you, one of their favorite art pieces, as well as their contact information in the event that you may want to purchase or even just view their great work. I encourage you to visit their websites and follow them on social media. Their work will amaze you.