By Phil Barton, MA Art and Science, Central Saint Martins

St Patricks day on 17 March saw me drop everything in the Archway Studios and return home to Rusholme in Manchester.

The next day I surveyed my art materials – some watercolours and acrylic paint, a desk, various sketchbooks, a computer and printer and not much else.  From the plenty of Central Saint Martins– wonderful technicians, amazing kit - with my degree show projects going at full speed to isolation at home in 24 hours.  How to re-boot?

I resolved to make a public commitment to a new project which drew on the wisdom of my artist forerunners and was a comment on the pandemic.  I would conduct it on Instagram (@PhilBxyz).

Four rules for the work:

1. Reference current pandemic
2. Use only materials available to me at home
3. Reference a current or historic artist or school
4. Each piece not to take more than three hours to make!

In the end 20 works were posted between 20 March and 18 May - from Jasper Johns to Yoko Ono, JMW Turner to Tracy Emin.  All had something to offer this troubled world.

Personally, I found the project really helpful, re-igniting my creativity in isolated lock-down, giving me deadlines and putting my work out there.  As time went on, the posts got more political as I raged at governmental incompetence and, perhaps, regained some of my artistic confidence.

By the middle of May it was time to stop and to focus on my final assessment submission.  And why stop at 20?

I had outfaced the virus: Covid 19; Rusholme Isolated 20!

Related Links

• Phil Barton Instagram
• Phil Barton website

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