I made this painting the weekend after Roe vs Wade was reversed. I felt a weighted helplessness and bore witness yet again to the waves of cruelty that have been piling up throughout the States since 2016.
In truth, it's always been there, but now people openly have permission to act upon and celebrate their own worst impulses. This painting shows the chaos of existing within a society that has capitalized on pain and revenge, but I also think it holds a bit of hope because the stages of life are cyclical. As the world continues to spin, humanity has the power to work towards a course correction if enough of us want to do it. I believe in people who are kind. I believe in people who are standing back away from the current path of revenge. I believe in people who work towards a more just existence -despite the challenges that entails. This painting represents just one way for me to release the feeling of hopelessness of bearing witness while remembering life is still full of cycles and color.
- Shona