With the world engulfed in panic as the novel Coronavirus, or COVID-19, tightens its grip - relegating many to the confines of their home and polarising all manor of human behaviour - what is left for the humble artist to do but observe, analyse and report?

In times like these, having an affinity for isolation (as well as a hygiene regime which would make Naomi proud) can serve as an asset. As news reports began to emerge of toilet paper (really?) flying off the shelves here in Australia, it got me to thinking about how people respond during times of crisis.

To rewind a little first though, last year saw me produce a slew of daily sketches with the intention of keeping my mind fresh and my hand-eye coordination sharp. The brawling grandma was always my favourite but it wasn’t until recently that I was able to think about finishing the job on my favourite colouring-in book, the iPad Pro.

Looking back at the sketch now, whilst the head remains almost entirely unchanged, I am left aghast at the state of the body. It’s hard to imagine what I must have seen at the time; the positioning and form is all so obviously wrong but I’ve included it here as an assurance to myself, if nothing else, that the all-consuming and often tedious process of nurturing my works over the course of many weeks pays dividends in the long run.

With colour always comes experimentation and this was turning out to be no exception. I originally added a plume of toxic breath on a whim before deciding otherwise and exiling it to a hidden layer. That was until Coronavirus gained momentum in the public forum and it dawned on me that, with very little modification, I could turn this into clickbait a very responsible social commentary.

It’s somewhat satisfying to me then that what found its beginnings as a fairly innocuous doodle came to find its context as a Coronavirus cartoon. A vulnerable member of society risking it all in the name of toilet paper. Is there a sense of irony, or worse, lunacy, to be found in there somewhere? As with all art, that is up to the observer to determine.

For my wildly inexpert opinion, however, the words famously screeched by an angst-fuelled Kurt Cobain some twenty seven years ago, and echoing throughout the annals of music history ever since, have never before carried with them greater pertinence than they do today.

Adam Starnes — Street Artist and Illustrator, Australia

I feel stupid and contagious