Cornerman

The painting is influenced by my work with people who struggle to manage their anger. Anger is a normal human emotion that we all experience, but some manage it better than others. When people mismanage their anger their mind and body go through a set of stages with thoughts and feelings that trigger abusive behaviour.The painting is built up in layers to represent the complexity of thoughts and feelings that trigger abusive behaviour.Within the layers there is a suggestion of electricity and sparks flying, that represents the adrenaline a person may experience whilst in a heightened state of anxiety, that may lead to mismanagement of anger.The linear geometric forms that sit in the foreground, represent the pressure we are all under to remain contained and rigid in order to control our anger. The lines cross over one another at different angles to reflect the difficulties a person can experience on a superficial level when trying to appear in control.Titled Cornerman because of its direct reference to the boxing ring. I liked the thought of a person experiencing anger and imagining they had a cornerman in the background; a voice in their ear trying to control their misplaced anger