Freedom (Painting)

This painting predominantly features charcoal lines and bold black paint. Off to the left side of the canvas, a woman is depicted, her shoulders bare, her head thrown back, her expression one of unrestrained euphoria. Her closed eyes, adorned with lush lashes, and her slightly parted lips convey a sense of bliss. Wisps of hair swirl around her shoulders, stirred by an unseen breeze. Her hands clutch her chest, pulling apart a jagged tear in her flesh that stretches from just below the clavicle, revealing a shadowed void within. From this darkness bursts a sudden splash of color - dragonflies emerge cascading towards the top right corner of the canvas. Their forms dusted with gem-like shimmer, their wings edged in a glowing crimson. Sparks of fire flicker among them, while streaks of deep orangey-red trace the rush of air in their wake, capturing the force of their escape.

A striking detail in this painting is a faint smudge of black ink on the canvas- subtle, yet unmistakably shaped like a butterfly amid the dragonflies. It leaves only the suggestion of a form, like a shadow meant to be noticed without demanding attention. Perhaps it is a deliberate trace, a quiet signature of the artist. Etched within the smudge is a single, cryptic detail: the letter V.

       Day 13, Month 3 (Ches), 186 AR
       ''Violet Ashenbourne''