Lady in Red, Naked

Title: Lady in Red, Naked
Medium: Watercolor on Paper
Size: 8 x 11 inches

This painting is just one of the three versions of the Lady in Red. I have given them to two of my dearest friends, Cynthia and Debra. These two lovely ladies are very generous... with praise and admiration.

The Lady in Red... represents life, from birth until death. We are all born naked. But as we go through life, we cover up, we hide, not just our naked bodies, but our naked self. We learn to mask our feelings. We learn how to behave or act in proper decorum, even when deep inside ourselves, we want to break free, be wild, carefree, devoid of shame or fear. We try to do what others expect us to do. We put on the "red towel" to protect us. Or we use it as a shield or a wall to keep us safe from those who want to harm us, ridicule us, hurt us, or rob us of our joy.

This Lady in Red is now at a certain point in her adult life, where she begins to dismantle the walls she has created in her 50 years of life. She wants to break free from the dictates of others. She wants space and sometimes, wishes to be left alone. She is comfortable with simply being. She has found solace, an easing of grief, loneliness or discomfort. Solace is the comfort that you feel when consoled in times of disappointment. She has provided moral and emotional support to many people in her life, solace for others.

She has lived a full life, is quite content and peaceful. However, she is nearing a point in her life, that is inevitable, certain. Aging started when she survived her first fall and that death will come with the second fall.

When I reach the point when I am in nothing but pain, I hope that you, my dear family and friends, will end it for me. Nobody wants pain. We all want a quiet death, dying in one's sleep, in the comfort of your own bed, when one is very very old. But death comes when you least expect it. I have this fear of what lies ahead, of being out of control or having no control of my self. If you love me, you will help me out of the misery. The naked lady in red will soon reach the end of her life. She has no regrets or unresolved issues anymore. She is ready, to be naked again, in death.