During the second lockdown of 2020 I drew a sketch every day about how I was coping whilst trying to face up to being at high risk of catching covid. It meant leading a very quiet life without visiting a shop, seeing my family (except my husband) or being able to visit a museum and absorb myself in art - although I did manage to go Urban Sketching a few times at a suitably social distance which was really great - but cold.

Here are the first two sketches I made which depicts me in a mask and what 'outdoors' felt like. I posted the sketches every day on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

One of the things that kept me sane was my students. I couldn't teach them face to face but we met up once a week via Zoom and WhatsApp. Zoom allowed us to have a chat and share our news and WhatsApp was the place to post our pictures. Most of my students are older and some were also isolating and enjoyed the contact.

In August the husband of one students sadly passed away which was not unexpected but my students showed real compassion and became a lifeline to the lady's grieving process and made the group very closely knit.

Some of the daily sketches were made with my two groups as I continued to show a part of my life during lockdown. You can see them by following one of my social media accounts - the drawings were posted daily between 5 November and 1 December. This is the link to view them on Instagram. You may need to scroll down through the drawings.

https://www.instagram.com/maureenmaceart/