Eveline Mangin Mauws, "Dark Horizons (2),” 2020
acrylic, acrylic ink, leaf skeleton, collage and oil pastel on paper, 7”x 7” (courtesy of the artist)
Eveline Mangin Mauws is a Manitoba artist and writer who lives near the tiny community of St. Claude, southwest of Winnipeg. She studied fine art at the University of Manitoba, focusing on photography, but recently turned to painting that's inspired by the land where she lives.
Because I live on a rural acreage, my life is one of isolation. Normally, I am comfortable living a quiet life. Since COVID-19 has confined us to our homes, I have begun to feel caged in. My home and studio have become a mental prison with an unspecified length of sentence.
Like many people, I have been feeling a strong compulsion to rearrange and clean each room in my home. Everything is lined up perfectly as if that act will put some much-needed control into my life. I drag my exhausted body into the studio, only able to work in short bursts. Since COVID-19, I have lost interest in previous work, going inwards instead.
My art helps me process the myriad emotions that bombard me each day. It has become an emotional lifesaver. For a little while, I can distract myself from the awful reality of mass graves. COVID-19 has freed me, allowing me to experiment with new ideas and unfamiliar media. My work has become small and intimate. My strokes are more agitated and my shapes more contained, as I process the anxiety each day’s news engenders. I miss my children and grandchildren. This loneliness is reflected in my work’s more muted colours.
My use of social media has increased dramatically. I check my phone compulsively, looking for connection with the people I love and the artistic world. All these things distract me from this awful situation. My health issues make me susceptible to this terrible virus. I have become obsessed with germs that contaminate the outside world and I long for freedom. ■
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How are you feeling? How has the coronavirus crisis affected you and your work? We're inviting people in the visual arts community to share their thoughts for our House Call series. Please send up to 300 words to editor@gallerieswest.ca. If we are able to publish your account, we will contact you.
