Marathon Monday

The shocking explosions that broke so many hearts this Patriot’s Day have undoubtedly affected me greatly. I haven’t spoken about it much both because I plainly haven’t felt like talking, and secondly like so many other Bostonians I’m eager for my days to “return to normal.” Today, during a regional lockdown I’m condemned to my shoebox-sized studio apartment and it’s becoming clear just how long getting “back to normal” may take.

My love and sympathy goes out to the bombing victims’ friends and families. Boston is a very small city and we all feel the victims were our own friends and neighbors. “Boston Strong,” the city’s new strength slogan, is stamped on mailboxes, written on the sidewalks and inundating social media. In the days following the explosions I went for morning jogs through the Back Bay neighborhood as it is adjacent to mine and saw many other runners; some undoubtedly visitors who extended their stay in Boston due to travel issues or to lend support. The other runners and I all either smiled or waved at one another as we passed by. I thought to myself proudly, “my city refuses to live in fear.”

Marathon Monday, Watercolor, 10x8", April 15, 2013

This is a blog about art, so I want to detail the process the unfolded my piece Marathon Monday. After gluing our eyes to the news in a local restaurant from 3:00-5:30 PM on Monday, my boyfriend and I walked back to my apartment (where there is no TV). I didn’t feel like talking at all. It was still too early for bed, even though all I wanted to do was close my eyes. I thought painting a routine Threadline would help distract and de-stress, so I began a simple 10x8" watercolor drawing, though I wasn’t much in the mood for color. The gray piece lay still overnight, and in the morning I realized what I was painting. The video footage of the first explosion by the finish line of the marathon showed chaos, but what stood out to me were the flags that hung there, their bright colors contrasting a mashed dull gray backdrop. So on Tuesday morning, I added the final elements to the piece; the flags and red stained base to represent the images I saw on the news of the sidewalk.