Cooling Off, 24in. x 36in., mixed media on canvas, 2010 - 2013
Cooling Off is a pictorial representation of the point at which a stress level has stopped rising long enough to avoid an embarrassing situation.
The 15C woman is used as an icon to enable the viewer to compare and contrast how stress may have been dealt with then and now.
The texture is like a wall that for many centuries has been written on. The iconic and automatic writing is made and then erased over and over. Dripping from previous layers and marks are present in the visual texture. The colors are muted and earthy. The materials are varied and numerous. The materials used denote what anyone might own. These materials may be a rag, pencil, picture or painting, cloth, sticks, etc. The materials are present but erased at the same time. They exist and then don't and then do over and over.
The wooden frame helps in adding structure to the painting and keeps the materials in place to act on their own. Visually, the piece looks like it has been worked on since the 15C which makes for an interesting premise to contemplate.