This is a painting from the early part of the past decade that is titled Persevere (Face the Wind). It is one of Cheri’s favorite pieces and was immediately claimed by her when I finished it. It is one of my favorites as well and has unfortunately languished in one of the bedrooms of my studio that serves as storage space now until we find the proper place to hang it in our home.
It’s a very large painting on paper, 32″ wide by 52″ tall, which really enhances the open feeling of the scene. The colors feel bold and bright but are somewhat muted which allows the central figure to strongly contrast and really dominate the picture. There is no ambivalence about the subject of this piece.
The path that comes into the foreground is left unpainted, creating a white ribbon that grows out of the unpainted space around the painted image. I contemplated painting it for a long time but ultimately chose to leave it as is, favoring that ribbon that comes from the whiteness of nothing. To me , it adds a different dimension, adds another question that hangs over the image enigmatically. And I think that’s a good thing.
I periodically go to check on this painting in that back bedroom, moving things out the way to get a better view of it in the small space. I am always filled with a sense of liberation when I allow myself into the picture plane. I feel the wind that blows through the leaves of the tree and feel the strength of the tree as it defies the wind. It is autonomous and it’s oneness fills me with the reminder that we are all are on our own paths that are self-defined, beyond what anyone else can decide for us. Our happiness, our concerns and our hopes are all our own.
I see a lot in this painting with each view, sometimes things new and unexpected, and am glad that Cheri placed her claim on it those years ago. It’s a piece that feels like a very large part of me.
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Auction Update
A reminder that tomorrow, Monday, at 12 noon EST is the final deadline for the Auction to Aid Japan.
#1 Full Silence-- Current High Bid $650
#2- Seems Like a New Sun - Current High Bid $810
Redtree Times 