2020: Hanging on for Dear Life

(Pileated Woodpecker)

I wanted to show more of the Pileated Woodpecker than the scarlet capped head of the one in Room with a View. As he came together, capably grasping a branch and balancing against the wind, the image took on a metaphorical glint that Becky conjured and named as the title for this print.

Appreciate the date the work was completed—end of August, 2020. The country had lost over 200,000 men, women, and children to the Covid pandemic. Many families found their breadwinners out of work and wondering from where their next check, even meal, might come. The nation’s leaders were stymied in pointless and maddening debate, missing the opportunity to just do the obvious right thing and help families and small businesses in need. Gloomy economic forecasters tried hard to outdo one another. Violence played out in city streets as friends and neighbors couldn’t find the collective will to stand together against racial intolerance and its tragic consequences. And looming over all of it was, perhaps, the most important national election of our lifetime.

With no crystal ball in hand, 2020 did and continues to seem a time to Hang on for Dear Life. We feel remarkably lucky that our family has remained well through this terrible time. We hope with all our hearts that you and your loved ones are safe and well too.