©1996 Mara Berendt Friedman
acrylic on canvas, 18 x 24 in.
$3300, framed

For many years , I was 'obsessed' with symmetry... mirror images, butterfly images. Try as I might to not paint a symmetrical image, I kept doing so. This painting took symmetry to a new level... not only side to side, but up and down as well! There is a strong African influence in this work... I spent a lot of time pouring thru books on fabrics, masks, sculpture, paintings from this rich culture. I love the elegant, exaggerated line and form of African art. This painting is another example where I 'drummed' the paint, thus creating a vibrating surface. Two wise woman and several spirit animals form a circle of love and light around the new baby, about to birth into the world.