A Small Escape

Above is the continuation of Pause (formerly Conversation), a detail of Pause and A Small Escape. Both canvases are going pretty well. I'm finding that I'm having to step back and take them in and not just paint away at the usual pace. There are many passages I might have carelessly painted over if I hadn't had to get a drink or a phone hadn't rung.

What I really like about these two canvases as that the central figures/characters are atypical choices for me. Pause is probably my favorite of the two solely for the reason that the canvas is very intimate and immediate. I used to compose like this a lot back in school. Ironically, back then I was more comfortable with a intimate almost claustrophobic viewing space and actually had to force myself out of that comfort zone to grow. It's nice to revisit that compositional framework. I like the power of it and how emotionally charged it can be.