When Covid-19 started I was very uneasy at the sight of others wearing masks. I felt like I was living in a science-fiction movie. I tried to find new ways to cope as we holed up in our apartments and homes and left our familiar workspaces. As a Speech-Language Pathologist, I missed the toddlers I used to play with every day and thought about how their world was changing in scary and unexpected ways.

So I started to paint. I began to paint animals wearing masks 6 weeks ago in hopes of providing toddlers and kids with cute images to help them transition to our new mask-wearing culture. As our communities start to open again, children are going to be bombarded with more and more people wearing masks. These little ones are going to miss seeing the friendly smiles and familiar faces that help them to feel safe. These happy animals with masks can help children realize that what might seem scary at first can be playful and fun. If you are interested in buying some art for yourself, your office space, your future classroom, your doctor’s office or favorite coffee shop, please take a look at my art.