Division, 2023

Original 8x10 watercolor painting on paper with a one inch border surrounding the image.

This piece represents the colossal statue of Abraham Lincoln displayed in the monument of the same name in Washington DC. The first time I visited this monument in 1984 I felt the profound presence of struggle, humanity, and justice for all mankind. Abraham Lincoln, in my mind represents the best in us all, despite our sins and short comings.The warm lighting expressed in this work is not natural the lighting of the space. I wanted the Lincoln figure to have a division of warm and cold light reflections representing the warm ideals American’s feel with the cold reality of the life we actually live. The background surrounding Lincoln speaks to the conflagration of violence that consumes our history as our definition of freedom constantly evolves.