Corona Kimono 12/29/20

I woke up with the words Covid Christmas in my head.  I knew they belonged to my Corona Kimono.

Little by little pieces of the image became clear in my mind.  A Christmas tree with Covid 19 Vaccines tied with a bow.  Dr. Fauci, the angel on top of the tree, and  Joe Biden’s Covid Taskforce, their names like the kids on Santa’s list.

In my mind, the list flowed like ribbon candy next to the tree, Anthony Fauci’s face grew angel wings and the vaccines took the place of candles on the tree.

Once in my studio, I did a rough drawing.  But stitching on the sleeve of the Kimono is difficult.  It opens on the wrong side to put the image right side up.  And the sleeve is too small to stretch over the flat base of my free-motion sewing machine.

So I had to take the base off, which only allows me to see a few inches of the surface I’m sewing on.  This makes it’s impossible for me to sew large images freehand.  So I drew the tree with a white pencil before stitching it and traced over the drawing I made of Dr. Fauci’s face to make sure I got it just right.

I listed the first names of the people on Biden’s Taskforce.

At 2:30 Fate plopped her head on my knee, trying to convince me it was time to feed the animals.  “Not yet,” I told her.  I still have a half-hour and more work to do.”

 Once I fill in the back of the left sleeve, I’ll only have the front edging to do.

I’ve been looking at my Corona Kimono for so long I don’t even know what it looks like anymore. But when I look at my first drawing from April, I can still remember the fear I felt of now knowing what would happen.

And now there’s a vaccine.

My friend and poet Jackie Thorne, who is also a nurse, got the first part of the vaccine this week.  For her, it had the same effect as a Tetanus shot. A little pain at the site.

This is probably my last entry on my Corona Kimono for the year.  And I’m feeling pretty hopeful.

You can follow my work on my Corona Kimono back to the beginning here.

Detail of the Vaccine “Candles” and Santa Biden’s list.

8 thoughts on “Corona Kimono 12/29/20

  1. Beautiful Maria! And the likeness of Dr. Fauci is amazing!
    You tell her Fate…it’s break time! 🙂 Another great photo.

    1. I’m glad you can see Dr Fauci in my drawing Fran. It’s sometimes hard to get those small important details across with my sewing machine, especially when the drawing is so little.

  2. As I have followed your work on this piece throughout the year, it almost brings me to tears. To me this work of art is a very rare and historically important item. Several times I’ve thought to write you about it.

    Truly, sincerely, absolutely, this is an invaluable record of the impact on humanity of this terrible disease. It needs to be shared and preserved for the future. It is priceless.

    May I ask if you already have plans for it? In my humble opinion, it should go into the Smithsonian. Also, the leaders of this fight (Dr. Fauci et al) should know about it. Everyone should know about it!

    1. Thank you Barbara. I appreciate your letting me now the impact it’s had on you. I think the Smithsonian is reaching, but I appreciate your belief in me. Maybe something closer to home. You’ve helped boost my confidnce in this piece again.

    1. Thank you Uta. I do like the way it touches so many people. And a museum would be nice for it. I don’t really know what I’d do with it when it’s done.

  3. Maria, this kimono is a masterpiece. It is an artistic timeline of fear, love, and hope. It will eventually need to reside in a museum as a reminder of this year. There is so much feeling in this piece, in all of your pieces, that when people see it, they will feel, too. I think that’s the hope of every artist – to help people feel. Thank you for continuing to share it with us!

    1. This is the longest I’ve ever worked on one piece Karla. It’s good to hear it still resonates with people. And yes, feeling is a very important part of my work. I appreciate your comment.

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Full Moon Fiber Art