GRAVENHURST — Robert Link wants front-line workers to know how much they’re appreciated.
Link lives in Gravenhurst and works in hotel management while also pursuing freelance photography and illustration.
He recently created a piece to pay tribute to hospital workers fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, which reads, “Heroes are rarely recognized until it’s too late. Support the troops, stay home!”
“I wanted the health workers of the world to know that even though the governments have failed them, we the people are willing and wanting to support them,” Link said in an email to the Gravenhurst Banner.
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“I have people in my life that have compromised lung and immune systems. I stand to lose a lot of what I love in this world. I need them to be here when this is over, and the health-care workers are the only ones that can secure that,” he said.
Link said he would like to see more support for front-line workers from the government, and art is one way that he can spread awareness about the important work they are doing.
“Art is the most effective tool for spreading a message. Where the written word is only effective if the person can read it, art transcends every age, culture, religion, sex and creed,” he said.
Link said that he has dyslexia, and that this gives him an advantage when creating his art.
“I started drawing as soon as I could hold a crayon. I have paintbrushes older than coworkers,” he said. “I see dyslexia as a visual horsepower. Where others get words, I get an interactive 3D universe in my head that comes with an overlay, and I get to paint it.”
As he continues to create more pieces during the pandemic, Link said he hopes his art makes people think about how everyone needs to work together to overcome the pandemic, rather than holding protests against the physical distancing protocols like what is happening in the United States.
“I believe we need to stand in solidarity in a crisis. What’s happening down south is madness. Let’s not be them,” he said.
