Winter Solstice

Winter Solstice

2009 Egg tempera on panel  70 x 34″  (GPS  40.664071, -80.533626)

She is not dead.  Throw a pretty lady on a rock, sprinkle some leaves on her torso, and everybody assumes life has left her.  Certainly, there is ambiguity in the painting.  After all, she doesn’t appear relaxed or comfortable, though women who lie on rocks generally don’t have comfort in mind.  She may be sleeping, or in deep thought, or perhaps she’s so awfully depressed that she doesn’t care.  Incidentally, I have lain on this particular rock in the same position and it is surprisingly comfortable.  This was my first egg tempera.

The video below was taken from nearly the same viewpoint as the painting.  I found it helpful to play it while I painted.