'Memories From the Present': 'Jellyfish', 2021

The painting: It's night and we're looking directly down onto a rain soaked, tarmac and stone pavement lit by a nearby streetlight. Points of light, like stars, speckle the ground. In the centre a discarded rubber glove sits. Its translucent quality with its wetness has a jellyfish-like quality.

In early 2020, due to the uncertainty about the transmission of COVID-19, hand cleanliness was a huge focus of concern during the first lockdown (as well as social distancing and mask wearing). People took to carrying hand sanitiser, alcohol wipes, and disposable hand gloves. Though very much still of concern [summer of 2021] the main focus has shifted to aerosol transmission as evidenced by the focus on masks and ventilation. There was a very marked point when the gutters and kerbs were no longer occupied by the odd chocolate wrapper, polystyrene burger container and/or empty drinks cans but by disposable masks and gloves (and locally, small empty nitrous oxide cannisters 🤷‍♂️).