I like to work in art journals because when I stumble into something that hits too close I can just slam the book closed and not look at it again. This one haunts me, though, I can picture it with my eyes closed because it’s the first work I made during the first stay at home order last year. I spent more time staring at this spread than I have at any other piece of art I made – wondering what those girls might have been talking about and whether they’d ever be able to stand that close again. Time didn’t feel like it mattered anymore, the hours just ran together. The only thing we heard outside were the birds. We fed them, built elaborate birdhouses and feeding rituals for them. They rewarded us with song. We wanted to fly away too.

Original work: 16 inch x 10 inch art journal spread, acrylic, paint pen, water soluble crayon, and collage.