The Empty Space Where Love Should Have Been Print

The title comes from part of an Anna Karenina quote by Leo Tolstoy. In which Anna confronts her lover Vronsky, as she feels he hasn’t prioritised her and is ignored by him. Anna had fought for this period of change, yet despite it, she continues to feel abandonment and despair. This painting was created with similar feelings of frustration and anger, that should have been love, patience and acceptance. The expectations I had on others and the disappointment that resulted left me with a sense of self-loathing and a drive for survival when no one else seemed to care anymore. The painting represents this conflicted period of my life, as the colours are strong and defined in some places, melting, and dissolving in others. Each morning, I’d wake up and want that day to be better than the last. Knowing I no longer had to rely on people to pick me up became liberating, and through a time of distrust, I relearnt independence.