Behind every perfectly drawn curtain, there's a person pulling a rope which is part of an intricate system of counterweights, pulleys, and locks. This painting of a fly rail features the rope locks which hold the lines in place so the scenery doesn't move.

In 2004, I put together a show called "Art of Theatre" for the lobby of Clowes Memorial Hall, a 2,000 seat theatre, in Indianapolis. Because my husband is a stagehand, I know how crucial the work is that goes on behind the scenes. The star onstage gets all the credit, but his or her role in making the show a pleasing experience is just one of many. My goal was to showcase the importance of every aspect of the theatre, treating more mundane subjects with the same excitement and energy I used to paint beautiful ballerinas. I placed paintings of scenery in storage and empty theatre seats next to classic pastels of dancers.

Making a rope lock beautiful isn't easy. The fly rail is intentially a dark place, and the photos I took were dull and uninteresting. This was a good opportunity for me to use color to bring up the excitement level. I splashed acrylics around freely on my inked drawing, then finished with lines of pastel.