A lot of my paintings integrate symbols from mythology, art history, or religious texts, utilizing themes and archetypes as metaphors to explore personal narratives. I was thinking about wrestlers a lot earlier this year- the confrontation, eroticism, the thin line between intimacy and violence. As metaphor for grappling with internal conflict. Recently I’ve been thinking about the story of Jacob wrestling with the Angel- the identity of who can be interpreted in a variety of ways- as dream figure, as prophetic vision, as literal experience. Questioning what experiences are “real”, and how, or if, that differs at all from perceived experience.

This 16” x 12” oil painting is crafted on Arches Oil Paper, an archival paper that is primed and prepared specifically for oil paints. There is a 7/8” white border surrounding the image.

Framing recommendations: For this work, I would advise framing the painting behind glass with a mat that comes right up to the edge of the painted image.