PAINT.TEAM: New Jersey artist Kelly Sullivan has created two new virtual projects that are free and open to anyone who wants to access the healing power of art from home. To participate, log on to https://paint.team/.

For more than two decades, New Jersey fine artist Kelly Sullivan has used her talents to build and anchor communities through creative collaborative artworks. These large-scale works, called FingerSmears, have been created at events all over the country by more than 100,000 participants, including The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, and other household names. She recently enlisted the talents of software entrepreneur Doug Moreland to create a digital version of FingerSmears called Paint.Team. Instead of gathering in front of a large canvas, participants can “paint” together from remote locations.

“Like many of us, suddenly ‘sheltered’ at home, I want to make the best of it and do something positive,” said Sullivan. “Right now, people are looking for new ways to connect to others, myself included. I created two pieces of collaborative art, Sheltered in Place and More Monologues, Please, for anyone looking for a creative release. They are available to anyone at no cost. Art has the power to heal, which is much needed today.”

The first piece, Sheltered in Place, centers around a symbol Sullivan created to reflect a feeling of comfort. “My hope is that this piece is a source of comfort to others,” she said. “It’s soothing to watch the art come together with color and comments from people all over the community.”

The second template, called More Monologues, Please, was created as a shout-out to one of her favorite late-night talk show hosts, Stephen Colbert. It is also available for anyone to join in – for free.

“My husband and I typically end our day watching Colbert’s monologues. Suddenly we were watching him ‘perform’ in an empty theater while grappling with this unimaginable mess. His distress was palpable, but he still managed to make us laugh out loud multiple times,” said Sullivan.

“It’s great that he and other talk show hosts are now bringing us their monologues from home. Humor is important in these crazy days. This piece is my way of saying thanks.”

Both projects are now online and open to anyone who wants to participate. Log on to https://paint.team/.