mixed media: recycled gum wrappers, foil tea bag envelopes, sewing notions; 55”x39”
(also shown details)

“Hunker Down is an art journal which I began when the Governor of Kentucky called for a complete lockdown due to COVID 19. The first pieces were created as attempts to incorporate the gum wrappers, which remind me of survival blankets used in emergency kits, as design elements. Some of the pieces are pure design, while others are reflections of daily events like constant press conferences and conflicting information. Other pieces, utilizing safety pins, snaps, and eye hooks are reflections of relationship connections and disconnects in isolation. The gum wrappers were too delicate to use as the blanket base and I soon discovered my new tea obsession was yielding a stronger base material. The unfinished bottom edge symbolizes the ongoing nature of this project as the virus continues to surge and the uncertainty of when the world might return to normal.”

ARTIST BIO: Rosemary Topie is a mixed media teaching artist working in several disciplines. Retired after 20 years teaching youth art, pottery, and mosaics at The Baker Hunt Art and Cultural Center in Covington KY, she currently teaches private lessons and paints with The Society of Plein Air Painters of Northern Kentucky.