WILMINGTON, N.C. — Bradley Carter is a Wilmington-based abstract artist who utilizes his emotions to fuel his artwork. When COVID-19 hit, it was hard for him and so many other artists to stay focused, passionate, and inspired.  

 


What You Need To Know

  • Bradley Carter is a Wilmington-based abstract artist who has had to learn to adapt to the new normal of the pandemic

  • Many art galleries and museums are now open throughout the state with social distancing guidelines in effect

  • Tickets may be purchased in advance to reserve a time slot and a face covering must be worn at all times


“It’s how you interpret or how you deal with and work with the world,” Carter says. “But when the world kind of slowed down, shows stopped, galleries stopped, and so do I just keep creating?”

Carter says he even took a break from painting toward the beginning of the pandemic, which he says didn’t help.

 

“So you slow down on creating, and it becomes this downward spiral, and then you start getting depressed because you’re not painting, you’re not creating so it’s difficult,” he says.

But eventually that break allowed him to gain a new perspective and bring that back to the canvas.  However, getting back into the swing of things is just step one. Soon, Carter had to consider money.

“It can be difficult but also if you’re running the business, you got to figure out how to make money,” Carter says. “[You] got to figure out how to get to your audience and that’s extremely difficult for everybody.”

Art galleries have been trying their best to keep artists afloat during these uncertain times. Aside from opening on a limited basis, galleries are also doing virtual shows and even allowing viewers to virtually tour artists’ studios.

“You can still get a feel of what’s going on, but it still limits you a little, to get that connection. But again, technology is amazing to get people to integrate and stuff,” he adds.

Although he’s adapted to the new normal, Carter, like so many, just hopes that things return to normal soon.

“It was amazing to see all the galleries and stuff opening and all the people out and I just hope we don’t lose that because of the pandemic,” Carter says.