The canvas before me is not merely a mixture of oil paints and pastels; each stroke, each hue, and each shadow captured is a testament to the personal voyage through a tumultuous period marked by a global health crisis. As an artist who gravitates toward what is known and intimate, I couldn’t find a subject closer to my reality than my own experiences. I spent countless hours as a front-desk receptionist at a family practice in Harrisonburg amidst the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Those days were characterized by the frequent notification of colleagues testing positive and the cascading effect it had, resulting in staff shortages. Our patient demographic was mainly geriatric, a group that needed more care and attention, thereby increasing the workload exponentially.

My position at the front line, both literally at the door and figuratively as a crucial cog maintaining the mechanism of healthcare, placed me squarely in the sights of various patients whose emotions and frustrations often spilled over the safety of the six-inch wall and glass panel that was supposed to serve as my shield. 

It was during these encounters that I felt most exposed to the psychological onslaught of angry retorts and glaring eyes. The mask policy intrinsic to our defense against the virus was the nexus of much of this discontent. As receptionists, part of our role now included enforcing this policy, which was met with vehement opposition by individuals who either distrust the concept of vaccinations, or those who, for reasons spanning from personal beliefs to constitutional rights, felt aggrieved by the request to cover their faces for the duration of their visit. Their indignation was often directed at the front-desk staff, and I, embodying that role, became the personification of what they believed to be an infringement on their freedom. 

The work I created from these moments is charged with the intensity of those interactions. Using the oil paints to render the subtle plays of light and the pastels to offer a softness in contrast, I was able to reflect the emotional and physical reality of that space. The scene is intimate yet volatile, a dichotomy that exists within the confines of the medical office. It depicts me, the artist and receptionist, at the mercy of the explosive temper of a patient, symbolically exploring the vulnerability and resilience of those who were stationed at the front lines of public service domains during the height of the pandemic.

In the portrayal, the barrel distortion puts the viewer into the room, behind the desk as a participant in this ongoing scene. It was a period of trial and flux, and in the midst of it all, the art allowed for an experimental journey, a mode of processing and understanding the world from behind the glass panel, and in some ways, offering a protective barrier that the physical one could not.

- Nia Blue