Iron Queen
Oils on Board. 18" x 24" Work in Progress
Realists who look at this will probably comment on how weighty an iron "crown" of this nature would be, and that is precisely to point of the picture, the heaviness of sovereignty/responsibility. The painting's message is a commentary about stress. The figure wears a strained and weary expression, coupled with her hunched shoulders, and is further exaggerate by the weight of her crown, additionally, she conceals her breastbone with the defensive posture of her hand. Iron Queen is at about at a halfway point of completion. The background at this point has several layers of color worked into each other creating a marble texture. Upon completion of the background I have since re-rendered the edges of the figure and brought her back into clarity for the viewer. I did considerable researching for the armor and ornamentation of profile portraits. I wanted to combine both elements in this piece, though I am not completely satisfied with her crown as yet. I spoke with my husband about the work I have been doing lately, and I think I am in the middle of a "profile" period for the subjects of my paintings.