As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rock Vermont communities, one local artist is finding new opportunities — and hurdles — in producing creative work.
Stephanie Bush, a painter based in Shelburne, said that it might take years to get back to the success she was having in her career, something she said takes time in itself.
“It’s a long and uphill battle. Getting your education is the first step but after that it takes years to hone your craft,” she said. “It means that your income is going to vary year to year.”
Shortly before COVID hit, she had agreed to put work up with one gallery in Boston and another in Salt Lake City.
She also knew she was approaching the months of January-March, during which she had historically made less income.
This year, she said she hasn’t sold one piece, an unusual occurrence which she attributes to COVID.
“People are nervous and arts are a luxury good. I can understand why people wouldn’t want to spend their money there,” she said.
The art market was impacted by the economic insecurity of COVID. Although so-called “one percenters” are still buying art, others of lower incomes are less willing to invest in it, Bush said.
She was hopeful her art would gain monetary value as she improved her craft and the art market gained back its economic strength.
“I think it’s going to be a really long time until the market comes back, but it will come back,” she said.
Silver lining
The interruptions from COVID also gave her an incentive to experiment, although the need to care for school-aged children was an additional challenge in getting to her studio to produce art, Bush said.
She received state unemployment and money from the CARES act to help care for her children.
“Some people grumble that people are making more with the CARES act then they would be if they were employed, but it has been a lifesaver and it’s not something my pride likes taking,” Bush said. “Everyone I know who gets it wishes they didn’t have to take it.”
She said she was going to have a sell some of her art at a discounted price. She might move.
“I’m optimistic that there will be new opportunities, and that I might make some of my own. The idea with this sale is to clear the space and make it more accessible to people who couldn’t afford it otherwise,” Bush said.
Making the work of local artists visible and accessible would help local artists in general, she said.
Jean MacBride 