This piece is part of the Sun Valley Museum of Art print series.

In the beginning of the pandemic—the science and the CDC protocols kept changing, and there was little information on the effects of covid (because it was so new). Hospitals were short staffed and people who worked in our healthcare system were stretched thin, often asked to work and take over tasks that were outside of their specialized area. Today I would like you to meet the final two people that I had the honor of interviewing during my stay in the Wood River Valley of Idaho. Meet Fidel and Kathy, two Medical Laboratory Scientists whose work responsibilities changed when we went on lockdown.

“We had so many of our frontline nurses and doctors who had covid or were exposed to it before we knew much about it that we had to shut the hospital down, and [send] people to Twin or Boise.” Said Kathy B. a Medical Laboratory scientist who had to wear many hats in the hospital during the Covid surge. “I used to drive to work with a stomachache. It was all surreal… the protocols kept changing, about where to send the swabs...” She said. “And then the method of collection,” added Fidel, another Medical Laboratory scientist who works for St. Luke’s Wood River Hospital. “Nose. Mouth. Throat. It was unknown territory. Our hands got so tired from opening up and labeling Ziploc bags. [Initially] we did 100, 200 tests a day. Plus, we had to take care of the ER, too. Car accidents. There were other things going on, [and] we were short-staffed. We were so tired.”

“I think this has taken such a toll on everyone.” Kathy added. “Whether they were an essential worker or not. And not just the United States. Our whole world. It will be interesting to see how we come out of it.”

Being a frontline worker is a monumental task and when the US had its first Covid surge, these frontline medical staff were overworked and at times did not have to proper PPE to protect themselves against the virus. Healthcare workers and other essential workers were (and continue to be) at a higher risk of contracting covid 19, and if there is something that we can do as a community, is stand in solidarity and help advocate for better working conditions for all workers that we deem as essential.

Thank you to the Sun Valley Museum of Art for inviting me to be a part of this Project. Also, special Thanks to all of the workers who continue to be the essential tapestry of our nation.

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The design was sketched and carved by hand, then printed with traditional oil based printmaking ink onto 100% cotton, acid free paper. Each piece will be titled, signed and labeled as an edition of 12.

*This block is printed on white Canson edition paper— 250 gsm paper, and the blue tag is individually hand painted with watercolor paint.

Each print is produced using a manual printing press, therefore, each print will be unique and may differ slightly from the pictured original. This is the beauty of linoleum block printing.

Paper Size: 18”x22 ”

Image Size: 12”x16”

Paper: Canson edition—100% cotton acid-free

*print does not come framed

Shipping: Prints are carefully packaged and shipped within 3-5 business days.

*If you’re interested in seeing the process visit my Instagram .