This painting gave me a lot of trouble! I normally don’t have a detailed idea of a painting when I start out. So I started this painting and kept adding to it – it still didn’t seem ‘balanced’ or ‘look right’. So I left it and completed “Demulcent”.

I completely painted over the original catharsis after I had a really bad day. It was cloudy that day and I thought that some days need to be clouded over and confusing before a feeling of catharsis can make the skies clear again. It was one of those light bulb moments and I couldn’t wait to paint my feelings. I always wanted to include a little red in the painting to symbolize pain and trouble.

C is for “Catharsis” n. The process of feeling repressed emotion by association with the cause, and elimination by abreaction (reliving the experience)