This work was created around 2004-2005, when I was exploring Canada’s nature and  learning about its culture. The images of winter mountains and sunset with pines represent Canadian nature. The image of a person with two animals in the place of two mental hemispheres, and coloured curved lines in the place of heavily styled hair, is based on a real person I knew. This person’s forefinger is touching his left temple, as an impression of a gesture I saw him perform. This finger is very abstract and may be hard to see at first (e.g., fingernail is orange).

The white and pink roses on the right and left represent my impression of being first invited by beautiful flower-like kindness, but then being hurt by other deeper experiences, which are represented in this painting as cold and dark nature images. As I often do in my works, I use both abstract forms and representative art symbols to tell stories, draw portraits, and express feelings.

As in many of my early works, rather than expressing beauty and harmony only, I rather used the process of painting to expel overwhelming feelings and worries I would otherwise have no way of letting go. After producing such paintings, I would self-heal and calm down – and so this work is a visual representation of letting unwanted thoughts and feelings go.

Below is the section with sunset, hiding behind a beautiful white rose.

Prints are available. Please contact Nina Soyfer using the form below if you would like more information or a print of this painting.

[contact-form]