Trail of Tears Painting

I am sometimes motivated by colors in my work and the interplay between two or three main colors. The base of pasted magazine pictures have been layered with several coats of red and orange acrylic paint. There is so much to the see if you look deep into the canvas with ten layers of paint that is then scratched and scrapped so that the underbelly of the layers show through. I especially love the interplay of turquoise blue on the red. It is so symbolic in so many ways hence the title "Trail of Tears". The American Indian has suffered many trials and tribulations throughout American history. This is one event (Trail of Tears) that should never be forgotten. The piece became experimental for me because I portrayed the event in an abstract form that would reflect the pain and suffering the Indians endured in those trying times. The intensity and contrast of color and the many layers of texture shows the feelings endured on this long forced march to new relocation areas. I saw rage, pain, suffering, indignation, crying, humiliation and death and tried to portray that in every stroke of the brush and texture used on the canvas. The work is finished with a high gloss polyurethane that seals and adds tremendous depth. It is wired and ready for hanging.