Peace Talks 2018

Rose Freymuth-Frazier made "Peace Talks," as a portrait, probably in oil. There's a beautiful, almost antiquated approach to her mark making. It's not exactly realism, but she's not shying away from the inherent challenges of painting flesh or fabric either. The paint is applied in these deliberate, directional strokes, thick in places, thinner in others. It's easy to get lost in the face itself, but there's so much happening with the roses, the telephone, the butterflies, all these props and additions that come into the painting. Take the single butterfly that's landed on the telephone receiver. It's such a small detail, but it really brings the whole piece together. The telephone becomes like a flower itself, the butterfly landing there. It reminds me of the work of John Currin, where the longer you look the less sure you are about what exactly it is you're seeing. I think it's great.