This is another from the Exiles series of 1995, one that is called The Writing’s on the Wall. It’s the smallest of the Exiles series at a mere 4″ by 6″. But, for me, the size does not diminish the potency of this piece.
Painted at the time of my mother’s death from cancer in 1995, it’s about the resignation that comes from seeing the life of one you love about to end. The hope for recovery has passed and an end seems imminent, leaving you somewhat empty. The world around you moves ahead and you are left struggling to regain the pace, not wanting to for fear that leaving the past behind will mean that you’ve left that person behind as well. It’s a daunting moment that actually lasts for weeks and months. Maybe years.
As I painted this piece and the face began to take shape, the intent was to have an expansive landscape in the background. But the circumstances at the time began to make clear the inevitable was coming and the landscape closed inward, walled in. I mostly seek ambiguity in the message for my work but here I wanted to be unequivocal with the message from this piece and opted for the graffiti that stated it clearly. For me, this piece meant only one thing and I didn’t want it to read any other way, at least for myself.
I can’t say that this is a good painting, can’t compare it objectively with other work. The feeling for me is to close to the bone here and makes such comparisons moot. It is what it is and that is what I want it to be.
Redtree Times 