This painting is inspired by Charlotte Gilman's short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" which focuses on the slow mental escape into madness of a young woman oppressed by her situation and forced to undergo the 'Dr. Mitchell's Rest Cure" by her husband. This was a real 'cure' that medically recommended the isolation of women who had 'disturbing' thoughts or behavior during the 1800's. In the tale the protagonist begins to see another woman trapped behind the yellow wall paper of her domestic prison. Here you can find the woman, and the potential of her escape in the mirror, as our perspective shifts from one side of the painting to another. I grew up in an old German farmhouse with flowered wallpaper that sometimes seemed to have things hidden in its patterns. Every time I paint this theme, the wallpaper becomes less yellow.
- Subject Matter: Surreal
- Inventory Number: 2-2006
- Collections: Available Large Original Watercolors, Paintings with Birds, Surrealist Paintings