Isolation. Oil on canvas, 42″ x 26″.
Isolation, is a medium size painting in oil on canvas that expresses the isolation that can be experienced in a suburban neighborhood. The warm colors of the lighted interior contrast with the cool, dark, outdoors. A man, arms crossed, looks out. He is separated from others, whose presence is implied by the surrounding homes. His shadow suggests the anxiety of his self-imposed confinement. He is on one side of a glass barrier, while his shadow reaches out and away. Is he in a prison of his own making? The light and shadows unite the interior and exterior spaces.
This image developed while using a 3D modeling program (a useful sketching tool). In the early stages of the painting, the illuminated grass, and the interiors were painted and textured using thick white paint. The final colors were glazed over this underpainting, creating a luminous glow. The dusky sky provides the only illumination for the exterior and its approaching night. The man’s body language with arms crossed, communicates reserve, containment, and a lack of outward emotional expression. The window lattice suggests jail house bars. It is as if the man can’t escape. He could relax, open up, and leave by the front door, but instead, chooses to remain safe inside. Only his shadow, reaches out into the world, while his constrained, civilized self remains alone, and isolated.