Robin Slonina

This pandemic above all for me has been a time of taking stock.

Not just taking stock of the food in our pantry or the toilet paper on our shelves, I’m taking stock of my priorities, my health, my relationships, the society I live in and the part I play in it.

I am a full-time working artist, specializing in creative event planning. My husband is a full-time working performer, in a show on the Las Vegas strip. Just like any other professionals, we went to school and spent years paying back student loans to learn our trades. We built our way up from nothing, through thin and thick times, to support ourselves and raise our child as working artists. Suddenly, without warning, to find ourselves both unemployed with no health insurance or job prospects on the horizon is frightening, to say the least. However, it is a daily choice not to live inside of this fear. I am choosing to hope, to pivot, to reassess, to expand and take stock.

We have implemented a “spending freeze” in our household, so the Union House “of the moment” challenge aligns perfectly with our personal one. During this time, I will only make art from items I’ve already got in my studio. My son also understands that no new toys or games will be purchased, so he is re-discovering buried and neglected items inside the house. We have made a game of it, as we gather what to keep and what to donate to those even less fortunate. We rely on small joys and buried treasures to counteract new stressors.

This artwork was created with help from my son, using old house paint stored away and untouched for years, as well as a large canvas gathering dust in my studio - that I previously didn’t have time to give my attention to. My previous work of large, demanding creative events to organize has given way to focused private time in my studio. Instead of a hard-working artist, busy 24/7 with my latest jobs and events, in many ways I feel like a real artist again, with time in my studio to create for the first time in years.

The “of the moment” painting I created for Union House is 40” x 60”, mixed media on canvas, entitled “Twirl Power.” It is inspired by a childhood where the only female superhero to look up to on television was my beloved idol Wonder Woman. Her innocence and power now reminds me to keep fighting for justice in this world, while staying strong and kind during these challenging times. I will continue to count blessings, have courage and help others.