Been looking at this painting I just finished (The Keys to the City, based on Velazquez’s The Surrender of Breda) in regard to the current political situation and had a revelation:  power wears many masks–Trump masks, Clinton masks–but ultimately its face is the blank reflection of not recognizing our own power (and responsibility). Look at all of us on the left, united by personal connection and shared struggle–a 3rd party. At first I thought I was making a painting about the power of not trying to win–surrendering the keys–but now I’m thinking of surrendering the keys as a cop-out. The way I painted my face doesn’t suggest a peaceful empowerment. It looks like the despair of accepting the weakness of no face and leaving untapped all the vital power contained in the intimacy of shared struggle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Keys to the City  /  96 x 72  /  acrylic, spray paint, glitter on canvas