A few weeks ago I was contacted by artist Rodney Mercer about a project he and Rebecca Cohoe had been working on, #FrontlineFacesNL. Local artists would offer free portraits to frontline workers in the province through a public Instagram post. This is such a wonderful idea to help celebrate our province’s workers.
My day job has allowed me to work from home during the quarantine, but I wouldn’t be able to do so if it wasn’t for the hard work and sacrifice of our front line workers. This project was open to all front line workers in the province, not just health care workers and for both professional and amateur artists. There has been such a wonderful cross section of Newfoundland art - from oil painters, to cartoonists, to textile artists, and everything in between.
I was paired with Dr. Jill Follett, an ER doctor in Corner Brook. I was especially excited to be paired with Dr. Jill as my father and her mother are both from the small town of Belleoram. This personal connection made it that much more meaningful to me.
To be honest, I was a little nervous about this project. I am not a portrait artist, I’ve done maybe two portraits in my career, but I knew I had to be a part of this. Art allows you see a subject at a more personal level, you get to know the subject intimately. Front line workers are sometimes invisible to the public - many do their jobs behind the scene and don’t ask for thanks or recognition. With these portraits they are being seen and thanked for everything they’ve done, and do.
The artists and workers involved in this project have also helped create a time capsule for this time. 2020 has been a rough year for most. While we will look back on this time and remember all of the hardships we’ve faced, we can also remember the good people did.
I’m thankful to have the opportunity to be a part of this project. To hear more about #frontlinefacesnl you can search the hashtag on Instagram. You can also listen to this interview I did with CBC along with Dr. Jill and Rodney Mercer.