Holding on to Pain

I had an idea for a painting, that I thought would capture a multitude of raw emotions, but I needed a good reference photo to work with.

 So early  yesterday morning, I went out to my garage, where I keep a gym rope that I use for cross-fit training. 

It was far to bright in the garage for the cast shadows I was looking for, so I stapled large green trash bags over all the windows to block out the sun light, I set up my camera on an old tool cart and used a single automotive drop light for my lighting. 

I took several shots of myself hanging from this rope, hoping to capture the feeling I was looking for. 

This painting is titled "Holding on to Pain"

It depicts a man that refuses to let go of the sadness, the loneliness and the bitterness of life, it has sculpted him into a rock and he carries this weight with him where ever he goes, heedless to what he has become and totally unaware that some day the rope will break.