Portrait of Heidi

This is an Expressionist portrait of my friend, Heidi, which explores the impact of memories on our lives. Life can be compared to a river, moving always forward; but memories are a part of our past that can suddenly surface in our present life, whether we want them to or not. We sometimes carry the wounds and scars of memories, which can be triggered by association or conscious thought; memories can become tangled and distorted by time and emotion; sometimes memories come full circle as we finally grow to overcome memories of abuse, domestic violence, addiction & grief. This mixed media portrait uses a collage of watercolor & oil on wood.