The Bush
by Elizabeth

Completed on: 02 September 2002
Type: Painting
Genre: Impressionism

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story.

Should I stay or should I go? This painting is based off of an original photo taken of me in Death Valley, CA. in the Spring of 1997. A dear friend of mine, B.L, took the photo. Over the past seven years, the bush in this painting has come under a lot of scrutiny.  Why is there a bush next to the ocean? Why is the bush proportionally inaccurate? Well, the bush is next to the ocean and is proportionally inaccurate because, at this time in my life, I thought that I couldn't paint sand.  I had just undergone surgery and I had just started painting, and I didn't want to make a mistake. I was probably wrong, but at that time painting sand seemed extremely daunting. Over the years, the bush has become a part of the panting and it will stay. It is a part of my past and a symbol of my history. It may not fit, but it is still a part of me.

dedication.

Originally this painting was entitled "survivor", and I think to be a survivor you need to have courage. You need to have the courage to try new things, to fail, and to accept yourself as a complete person.