Covid-19

a remembrance bouquet

December 17, 2021Uncategorizedbouquet, Covid-19, frontline heroes, glass vase, healthcare heroes, pen and ink drawing, photography, Remembrance, TasmaniaAndrew Seal Leave a comment

This morning I enjoyed my new Winsor & Newton pro marker brush and blender from Opus Art Supplies. The Xmas bouquet was from dear friends and is displayed in a treasured vase that was a wedding present of my wonderful late parents from their marriage in 1936.

As I remembered mum and dad today my thoughts were also of the parents in Australia grieving the loss of their beautiful children who died so tragically as their bouncy castle was blown up into the clear blue sky. My heart breaks for them all as I know yours does too.

Yesterday Canada recorded its 30,000th Covid19 death so today is very much a day of remembrance, and as always a day to express our heartfelt thanks to all of our frontline and health care heroes.

labor day 2021

September 6, 2021Uncategorized#wear a mask, Covid isn't over, Covid-19, digital art, frontline heroes, get vaccinated, healthcare heroes, labor day, nurse heroes, protestAndrew Seal Leave a comment

On this Labor Day our healthcare and frontline heroes deserve our everlasting gratitude not the hate, vitriol and ignorance of this miserable rabble of unworthy citizenry. Free speech is one thing but protesting our precious healthcare workers outside their places of work is simply unacceptable. These heartbreaking words from one of our nurse heroes say it all.

National Physicians Day

May 1, 2021photography, UncategorizedCovid-19, frontline heroes, gratitude, landscape photography, National Physicians' Day, Pacific Spirit Park, photographyAndrew Seal Leave a comment

Four special moments from the Pacific Spirit Park, Vancouver today on our National Physicians Day here in Canada, a day for me to say thank you to all of my amazing colleagues who have worked so hard this past difficult year together with all of our frontline heroes. I am in awe of them all.

🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦

the meeting point installed

April 12, 2021Art, Photo Essay, UncategorizedArt, Art of Medicine, BC Health Care Award, because science, Covid-19, ECMO, frontline heroes, gratitude, pencil drawing, science of medicine, VGH ICU, YouTubeAndrew Seal View all 6 comments

I was honored to join my General Surgery colleagues virtually this morning after the recent installation of my charcoal/pencil drawing “The Meeting Point” in the ICU at Vancouver General Hospital. It was also an opportunity to recognize and congratulate the unit’s ECMO team on their recently receiving B.C. Health Care’s Gold Apple Award for their collaborate approach to life-saving patient care.

The drawing was made one year ago to thank our frontline healthcare workers and was donated to the Hospital Foundation. Here is the description that accompanies the piece:

When the Science of Medicine meets the Art of Medicine to save lives in the COVID unit at Vancouver General Hospital. I would like to suggest that ECMO, which stands for Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation, could also stand for Ever Compassionate Medical Optimism, thanks to the dedication and bravery of our frontline healthcare workers epitomized by the caring nurse-specialist portrayed in my drawing.

With my gratitude to Katharine Knowles and the VGH and UBC Hospital Foundation for accepting my gift and for so thoughtfully hanging it in the Unit, and to Dr Adam Thomas for his photograph which was the inspiration for my drawing.

Enjoy BC Health Care Awards presentation of the inspiring work of the VGH ECMO Unit:

world theatre day

March 27, 2021Art, UncategorizedArt, Bard on the Beach, Canadian Theatre, Covid-19, Douglas Campbell, portrait painting, World Theatre DayAndrew Seal Leave a comment

Remembering the late and great Douglas Campbell on this World Theatre Day as we look forward to the return of live theatre everywhere and especially our beloved @bardonthebeach here in Vancouver. You have all been sorely missed.

All the world has been a stage this past year and all humanity merely players with far too many sad and lonely exits and far too few comforting and loving entrances. Let’s hope in the coming year we can all soon be with the ones we love once again. It’s been too long.

Happy World Theatre Day to my theatre friends everywhere. ❤️

Thank you Yo Yo

March 15, 2021Art, UncategorizedBach Cello Suite, Covid-19, pencil drawing, vaccination, Yo Yo MaAndrew Seal Leave a comment

Yo Yo Ma playing Bach’s Cello Suite No 1 to those awaiting their vaccinations in Pittsfield Massachusetts after he had received his is such an inspiring moment of grace and beauty.

Take a moment and enjoy this recording of his playing the Prelude from the Suite in 1983.

a day for remembrance

February 22, 2021Uncategorized46, Art, Covid-19, frontline heroes, healthcare heroes, pandemic, President Biden, Protest Art, Remembrance, White HouseAndrew Seal Leave a comment

On September 22nd last year I posted the centre part of this image on the day that 200,000 American lives were reported to have been so tragically lost to the ravages of COVID-19. Today, one year since the beginning of the pandemic we learn that the number has now reached 511,133. In Brazil it is 246,560; in India 156,418; in the UK 120,580; here in Canada 21,715; and worldwide the number is 2.47 million.

Each one of those lives lost, both young and old, leaves families and friends in mourning; today we mourn with them too. We also think about all of our healthcare and frontline heroes who cared for them all, often the last ones to be by their sides as they took their last breaths. Today is a day once again to say thank you to each and every one of them, for they too are also always in our thoughts.

In a memorial ceremony tonight at the White House President Biden spoke so movingly to the nation, but his words I felt were also to a grieving world:

“While we have been fighting this pandemic for so long we have to resist becoming numb to the sorrow. We have to resist viewing each life as a statistic or blur. We must do so to honor the dead but equally important to care for the living, those loved ones left behind.”

How fortunate we are to have President Biden in the White House at this moment in history.

because science

January 12, 2021photography, Uncategorized#wear a mask, because science, Covid-19, gratitude, healthcare heroes, photography, PHR, Physicians for Human Rights, selfieAndrew Seal One comment

Today I received my mask from Physicians for Human Rights, which I will now wear whenever I am out to honour my dear colleagues and all of our Health Care Heroes, and as always I thank them all. Although to say thank you never seems quite enough it comes from the heart.

what would Pooh say today

January 1, 2021Art, essay, humor, Uncategorizedcompassandcamera, corona virus, Covid-19, family, gratitude, Happy New Year, iPhone, love, New Years Day, separation, social distancing, watercolor, Winnie the Pooh, Words of PoohAndrew Seal View all 2 comments

On March 19th last year inspired by my dear blogging friend Kelly who started a Daily Dose of Beauty on her wonderful CompassAndCamera blog to help us “feel and understand our shared humanity” as the days of isolation were just beginning, I joined her in committing to posting every day during the pandemic never thinking that it would continue to the end of the year and beyond.

Both Kelly and I have indeed now posted every day since last March and through her wonderful CompassionAndCamera we have all had the pleasure of seeing the beauty of the world through her lens and learnt so much from her brilliantly descriptive travel writing all from the comfort of our self-isolated armchairs at home. So as we begin this New Year I would like to pay tribute to Kelly and thank her for inspiring us each and every day. Thank you Kelly from all of us in your loyal fan club.

Now as for today, on this first day of the New Year, this will be the last of my daily posts. Rest assured however I am not going anywhere and the posts will continue on The Changing Palette, but perhaps at a little less frequency. I thought about what today should be about and decided that as we seem to have come full circle with lock downs and self-isolation returning everywhere I would revisit the second of my daily posts from last March, which was really meant for the children as a way of talking to them about locking down and staying home and not visiting friends. If Pooh and Piglet can do it, so can we all.

For children everywhere.

And they did indeed FaceTime with Eeyore who couldn’t have been happier to see them.

Happy New Year everyone. Stay safe and well in 2021 and just like Pooh and Piglet take care of each other, check in on loved ones and friends, and thank the heroes around you, as I try to do as often as I can, who are working so hard every day for us all until we get to reach that light at the end of the tunnel. It’s getting closer.💕

2020 look back #5

December 30, 2020Art, drawing, Uncategorized2020 review, Art, Covid-19, digital art, in memoriam, Lest we forget, pen and ink drawing, Remembrance, watercolorAndrew Seal View all 8 comments

2020 look back #5

In Memoriam – Let these few images of remembrances from this past year represent all those who are sadly no longer with us. Today, the heartbreaking number of total coronavirus deaths posted worldwide stands at 1,807,472, a number that is hard to comprehend. The journey we are all on together still has a long way to go, as we say thank you to the heroes amongst us once again.