Pamela Sztybel, a Connecticut-based artist, found herself in lockdown during the COVID pandemic. With her New York studio inaccessible, she began drawing at her kitchen table, creating the COVID Diary sketchbooks. These daily, news-inspired cartoons chronicled the times, often with a sharp edge and humor.

From COVID to Ukraine

Sztybel’s sketches were not just a way to amuse herself and her friends but also a way to document the situation in a unique way. She received messages from people around the world, including a lady who used her drawings to explain the news to her grandson. After a year of drawing, Sztybel took a break but picked up her tools again when Russia invaded Ukraine, a conflict that hits close to home due to her family’s history.

Sztybel’s drawings have been praised for their ability to convey complex issues in a simple, yet powerful way. Her use of caricature and commentary has been compared to the golden age of caricature in 19th-century France, which was characterized by its sharp critique of officials and institutions.

Original reporting: The Connecticut Mirror — read the source article.