Letting Go

This painting is about letting go of unnecessary burdens and removing conflict from our lives. The idea for this painting, however, actually started from a place of despair. The past couple of years I had felt that my day-to-day existence had been colored largely by the decisions of those in power more than it ever had been before. I was tired of pointless mandates ruining my quality of life and the frequent situations that required herculean patience. I disliked how pride and power were winning over common sense and decency. I despaired over the prevalence of evil and the persecution of goodness. I felt trapped. I felt powerless. I felt used and taken advantage of. And confusion! There was no end to confusion. In response I sketched out an idea of a forest scene with birds all locked up in cages with a woman in the center sadly unable to free them. Here were all these obligations and burdens and expectations placed upon me and I unable to do anything about them. The more I thought abo