In October 2020, as the pandemic numbers grew worse, I began to lose interest in my studio work. This was a new, uncomfortable feeling, since  throughout my career, I’ve always felt motivated to paint. The grim news reports about the toll the pandemic had   on families around the world, but also in my own community stirred me to do something to address this issue. I decided to reach out to grieving families with my art skills. Thus began my Covid 19 Art Project. My aim was to offer memorial portraits, at no cost, to families who had lost loved ones to Covid-19. I first introduced the idea locally on a neighborhood web forum. News quickly spread and I have now received requests from as far away as Hawaii. My story has also been featured on WTSP, a CBS news affiliate in Tampa, Florida, on WBOC, a CBS news affiliate on the Delmarva peninsula, and most recently on ABC7, out of Fort Myers, Fl, an ABC news affiliate. It has also been spotlighted on Montclair State University's alumni page on Facebook and Instagram (my alma mater) and has been featured on 'Milford Live', an online publication from Milford, DE, where I formerly resided. I have now completed over 40 portraits. I recently decided to open up my project to other like-minded artists with a Facebook group page entitled, Faces Not Numbers®. We also welcome non-artists who are behind our cause of raising public awareness to the pandemic's toll on lives. Please consider joining. Click on the link below. https://www.facebook.com/groups/160342598896002 My journey has been a solemn, but gratifying one. I feel privileged to be helping families and friends who have suffered loses. My project has enabled me to connect with so many wonderful people and I have made new friends during this time of isolation. Link to WTSP interview https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MRel_BX2_2I Link to WBOC interview https://youtu.be/yMstb60dSO4