"Beneath the Surface"
I painted this almost two years ago, but for some reason last night I fully processed it's meaning... A journalist from BurnAfterReadingMag asked me about the piece and what it meant to me, all my abstract-ness aligned into words and I could suddenly describe the piece, to my own surprise! I have made conscious efforts to title my pieces with meaning, but I had no idea I had been successful.
To me the piece describes the heavy armor that an individual uses to shield themselves, a steel suit of coldness and exaggerated self. People don't want others to see their true self, their complexity, their vulnerability... It's easier for one to stay inside and let their hard shell take the abuse. In the painting, the shell is lifting up and away from the organic beauty that lies beneath, like a butterfly liberating itself from a cocoon. Bam!
