Well, this has certainly been a strange year. Life goes on, but in a rather surreal way. Are we getting used to going around in masks? Personally, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it—not to be able to see people’s expression is just weird. Are we getting to the end of this? It doesn’t look like it at the moment. Are we learning to live with it? In a way, we are. And we must.
But it’s not just the pandemic. Wars are either going on or are threatening to start in many places. Catastrophes brought on by climate change are causing untold damage and unprecedented population movements. Humanitarian crises are happening all around us, and governments are becoming increasingly tough in their handling of them.
But this is still a beautiful world, and this year I’ve witnessed many wonderful acts of kindness. All things considered, I felt very thankful to be able to spend the holidays with my family around me. There was a lot of cooking, art workshops, board games and beach walks. And the inevitable screen time, obviously.
When I looked through this year’s work, I realised I’ve drawn a lot of birds lately. Birds=flight? But they are mostly birds of prey. I wonder what that means.
To conclude, let me wish everyone a very Happy New Year, and may all your troubles last only as long as your New Year resolutions!
Letters from Athens 
Ηappy New Year, my dearest Marina!
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Love the Canada Geese! Have a wonderful 2022! I had to quickly make a New Year’s resolution so I could shorten the time to ignore it and hence shorten the troubles of things!
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Excellent artwork as always, Marina.
I am actually okay with wearing a mask, mainly because I only have to do that when I enter shops or businesses. And I usually only have to do that once or twice a week. 🙂
(My wife works three days a week for an NHS doctor, and has to wear a mask the whole time she is there.)
Best wishes for a wonderful 2022.
Pete.
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Marina – I meant to say that some aspects of your paintings remind me in some ways of the Canadian Benjamin Chee Chee – perhaps not so much the style as the feeling or content. Perhaps your mentioning birds put me in mind of this. I like both artists: Chee Chee and Marina W!
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Wishing you flight and freedom, and may 2022 be kinder to all of us.
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A happy new year to you too…
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This post wonderfully sums up the world at the moment ~ so much angst and uncertainty, but also so much kindness and goodness. And then there are your beautiful birds! Best wishes to you for this year too.
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Thank you, and a happy New Year to you too 💜
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It is a beautiful world. Your art captures that. This time of masks is but a blip, and we need to keep our eye on what is always there- a beautiful world. Thank you, Marina. Best to you.
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Have a great 2022 even if it involves flight and preying!
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Thank you, Marina, and I hope 2022 is kind to you
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Happy New Year to you too.
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Happy New Year Marina, and what beautiful birds!
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Thank you!
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That artwork is amazing. Let’s hope this year is a bit more upbeat, a bit more love along the way and hate take a running jump!
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I’ve actually become so accustomed to wearing masks that I don’t know how I’ll feel once/if they are no longer needed – anxious, probably. There are certainly a lot of dark things going on in the world right now. I love your art & your blog. I’ve been looking for fellow artist blogs to follow. Glad I found yours. 🙂
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