New work: What's another word for 'waiting?'

Hi, kids! Today, “When” is our Word Of The Day. When will we get a handle on the coronavirus infection rate? When will my kids be able to go back to school? It’s like being suspended.

Nobody’s done anything wrong, but the kids are essentially banished from school.

You could even say remote learning is supposed to cushion us from spikes in the COVID-19 infection rates, like a suspension system reduces the impact of outside shocks.

Now that we’ve settled into a “class time” routine, my kids are doing okay and I’ve carved out enough studio time for a new collage. At first, “Suspension” was going to show the teacher, students and the schoolhouse right-side-up.

Lisa Myers Bulmash, “Suspension,” collage on paper

But flipping the image captures the surreal nature of school in the Upside-Down more accurately. I’m still working on a way to visualize my kids’ isolation in a new way, though. I think they (and I) are getting out of the habit of being around people who don’t live with them. Which brings us back to the word of the day: When will they hang out with their friends again, without having to be pried out of our house?

We interrupt this quarantine for a brief message

Week five of quarantine: no shortage of ideas for new artworks, but I’m running low on concentration. So I’ve assigned myself some cut-and-paste art therapy.

Working in my friend’s art journal helps glue the scattered bits of my mind back together. But it’s a temporary break. For every article reminding me to cut myself some slack, there’s another to undermine that advice — often under the cover of Being Helpful.

What are you doing to reboot your brain, refresh your outlook, or just be kinder to yourself? Let me know on Facebook or Instagram.

New art: "Was It Something I Said?"

Hey, I'm back! And I brought some new artwork with me.

This collage put me through the emotional wringer, even though the concept came fairly quickly. Remember the inspiration for this collage? 

Looking at this picture is like trying to watch three TV screens at once. Remembering that moment, I'm pretty sure my mom was just chilly and impatient to get back into the warm car. But now I also see uncertainty in her face.

She grew up surrounded by other African Americans in the (segregated) South. You could tell because when she said the letter R, it had two syllables.

I grew up in a southern California neighborhood that had only three other black families. All of them lived on the other side of the street -- the side without a view of the city. (I later learned this was a discriminatory realtor trick my mom recognized, and she insisted on the view.)

When I moved to Seattle, my accent didn't set me apart, but I did feel an isolation similar to hers. It's called "the Seattle Freeze," and I couldn't find a way into a social circle until another California transplant made it her mission to bring me in from the cold.

My friend reassured me I wasn't coming on too strong when trying to meet new people. It was just... Seattle.  That's why I titled this piece "Was It Something I Said?"

This collage is for those who've faced a frosty group and struggled to find a place for themselves.