Anthony Pappalardo         

Brooklyn, NY     

The closest I've come to drawing in the last ten years has been a brief stint making collages out of World War II propaganda magazines and doodling during annoying work meetings. This wouldn't be a big deal if I didn't go to college for fine art and design to learn how to do it. When the COVID-19 lockdown started becoming a reality, I went to my local art store to buy supplies instead of hoarding shit. Someone smart who probably listens to podcasts told me that drawing first thing in the morning is good for your mind, so I thought that would be the first new addition to my Quarantine Routine®.

Surprisingly, Episode One of “Daily Drawings” went well. My hand felt steady and my brain felt warm. I drew the ugly condo with interesting colors behind my apartment, then the next four or five drawings were awful.

I quickly remembered that most of the visual art I've made has been flat, so I didn't fight it and just embraced my 2D tendencies. These are just sketches and not some melancholy diary of a pandemic. Some of them work, others have parts that are nice. What's most important is that they revisit a part of my head I don't dislike - between chugging water, pacing on phonecalls, ignoring the House Party app, and most importantly, mastering the art of being patient. In fact, that's really the only "art" in these pictures of pictures.

- Anthony