Dave Pollot

Artist

"The pandemic has given most of us a bit of extra time and I've been using mine to experiment with different styles and push myself a bit beyond my comfort zone."

Tell us about what you're currently working on.

I'm currently working on a few projects, but trying to focus on paintings for my upcoming solo show with Guy Hepner gallery in Manhattan. I can't give too much information on the show quite yet, but I can say that it will focus on contemporary still life paintings.

Has your work shifted in response to the pandemic? How?

My work hasn't shifted much in terms of access to materials or space (yet) since I'm very fortunate that my studio is in a private space. As with so many artists, my work is often a reflection of our current shared experience. As a result, some of my recent paintings have included references to stories we're hearing in the news and seeing in our communities - things like shortages on normal household goods, packed Florida beaches, proliferation of cleaning supplies, etc. The pandemic has given most of us a bit of extra time and I've been using mine to experiment with different styles and push myself a bit beyond my comfort zone.

How do you think the creative process can help us confront our "new" reality?

It certainly gives us an outlet to channel our thoughts and energy (be it emotional, intellectual, etc.). I think it's also a means of communication in times like these - it's a way for the artist to process the external world internally, and then broadcast the results back to the outside world in a way that others can identify with.

I've tried to see an opportunity for a deeper connection through the recent isolation - deeper connection to community (my wife is one of the biggest small and local business advocates I've ever met, and I've tried to soak up a fraction of her empathy and willingness to help them however she can), deeper connection to my work, and a deeper connection to those whose company I've taken for granted for too long (family for instance).

Dave Pollot is a former software engineer turned full-time artist who lives in upstate New York with his wife and two dogs. See more of Dave's work here.