Lost the Patient. Oil on canvas on aluminum composite panel, 23 by 18 inches unframed, 28 by 23 inches framed. Completed March 2022.
This is one of four (so far) paintings that explore the subconscious effects of the pandemic. The obvious pun of the title refers to the toll taken on our health care workers as they feel the lives slipping through their fingers. It also refers to the dehumanization of having to gown, glove, and mask up for every patient encounter; the barrage of machinery that has taken the place of simple touch, and the isolation of having your life in the balance and your loved ones can't even visit. We are in this profession because we care. When does the technology make caring impossible? Apparently over half of the trained nurses in the US think we have already passed that point.