CHCARTWORKS

Stress / Comfort

Here I really started to tie the developing pieces back to Self Portrait (Red Rope) - in this latest one, we have the same colour of rope twining around the subject. Whereas the prior roped piece was relatively passive and only mildly tense, this one is much more direct. The tight focus on the arms, the face - it lends intensity and closeness to our perspective.

Contrast is often a focus in my work, and I really feel this piece exhibits that strongly. The upper body is close and starkly lit, whereas the lower body is blurred and hard to see. The sharpest, harshest parts of the painting are where we usually look, and only after experiencing that do we look elsewhere. We are invited to think of the experience being had - is the subject stressed, uncomfortable? Or are they relaxed, being held so tightly. Is it a smile, a grimace, or just the only expression possible with the rope pulled through their teeth?

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