Home Alone

By: Paula DeStefanis

From the artist: “Home Alone is a large scale acrylic painting (36″ x 36″ on canvas) that I created in my home studio during the Covid-19 crisis. I am a person who feels a deep connection to the natural world. I am happiest and most inspired when I am able to be outside exploring nature. With the restrictions demanded on us during the pandemic my ability to be in the natural spaces I prefer were highly limited. This painting is my attempt to illustrate the beauty of the evolution of spring. It was my way of bringing the outside world into my studio, and most importantly into my creative being.”

Is there a better name for a contemporary piece? DeStefanis shows us the spring season, evolution of plants and animals, and the general comfort of leaving winter behind us with this fantastic acrylic panting. When I look at the piece I can see a red ship in the bottom right corner battling a massive swell in the ocean. Reminding me that, in a way, the entire world is in the same ship battling the same disease. As we all lead these mostly unadventurous lives, it’s easy to let the imagination go and occupy our minds with something far more interesting than modern reality and boredom. This is the time when caterpillars are evolving into butterflies and we’re missing it because observation must be done through a screen.

DeStefanis is a freelance artist dividing her time between the UK and the US. She enjoys working with acrylic and oil painting. Each medium renders a unique response. In acrylic, she draws from her daily experiences, beginning each canvas as written journal. The acrylic paintings are multi- layered and often very geometrical. In oils, she is drawn to the patina and decay of aged surfaces. Painting many layers with unconventional tools and often scratching away to find what lay beneath. Additionally, she spends much of her time collaborating with other artists and encourages collaboration.