Mass College of Art Boson - Student Quarantined For Week Runs Out of Drawing Paper - Utilizes White Board And Dry Erase Pens

Local man, Pico Pablos, had been hoping to create a series of master works to finish his graduate thesis in Applied Art at Boson's Mass College of Art.  Locked-down in his apartment for over a week now Pablos has run out of drawing paper, and even regular paper.

"I've turned to the white board and felt pens," he explained over a Skype interview with this reporter.

"My kitchen bulletin board is covered in line drawings I've created using the backs of junk mail."


"When I looked in my storage closet and saw that I had run out of clean sheets of paper to draw on I began to wonder about my priorities," Pablos said. "I ran out and bought toilet paper when I saw the lines and fights in supermarkets for sanitary paper.  But, what kind of 'artist' thinks about human waste when they should be thinking about art and creating new things and self expression through visuals."  He shook his head sadly.  "I've been drawing on cardboard boxes from Amazon deliveries.  I flatten cereal boxes inside out and flatten them so I can draw on the blank side."

When this reporter asked about using the 'paint' program on his computer Pablos shook his head. He was using a computer to conduct the online interview.

"It's not the same.  A big part of line drawing is the preservation of hand and arm movements in line form.  I need to move my hands, move my whole arm and body.  Drawing is a kind of dance.  The paper or drawing space merely preserves the motion.  That's were the 'art' is."

"I drew a picture of Mayor Welsh.  I emailed the cartoon to the mayor at the Trump Tower Boson, since I can't go to the hotel and give it to him personally.  I used my computer scanner after I drew the work on a sheet of recycled cardboard.

"But, now I'm beginning to run out of paper surfaces from my recycle bin."

He sighed heavily, "I'm afraid I'll be drawing on the walls before the 'shelter in place' suggestion, or order is over." 

 "I have some sidewalk chalk, so I went outside
when the weather was warm a few days ago and
drew on the street.  I guess if I run out of paper I can  always draw on the tarmac.  I just hope I don't run out of sidewalk chalk.  Why didn't I plan for a world wide pandemic that would interrupt art supplies a month or two ago.  So many artists created great works during Europe's Black Death.  Why wasn't I prepared?"

"Instead I went out and bought toilet paper," he shook his head in resignation.  "Can you draw on toilet paper.  And stupidly I got the soft fluffy kind.  I should have purchased the cheap, stiff, math paper kind."

"I did venture out on to my street and put a drawing on scrap paper on a telephone pole.  It's not the Boson Museum of Find Art, but at least I feel like I'm getting some self expression.  The whole point of visual arts is that someone has to see it.  Someone besides the artist who created the work."  

One happy note is that Boson's Hobby Lobby, which is a Christian owned and inspired arts and crafts chain of stores, is staying opened during the statewide shut-down of non-essential businesses.  The owners have said they are putting their faith in God, and that everyone knows that art is essential.

Massachusetts Governor Charles Baker has noted that Hobby Lobby may qualify for a 'religious exemption' since they see the mission of their business to spread Christian ideals.  

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