The pomegranate bound Persephone to Hades three months of every year. She willingly stayed and kept his secrets. Pomegranate seeds on the surface of the painting surround the door Persephone used to return to the light. Sunlight shines through the doorway although the red EXIT sign influences its colour.

This painting is done on Belgian linen, handstretched on heavy-duty stretchers, and traditionally primed with rabbitskin glue and flake white ground.

This piece is mounted on a handfinished wooden panel and framed with UV protective glass in a solid mahogany shadowbox frame, 2.5 in depth.

I learned much of my knowledge of art while employed as a picture framer. About a decade ago I came across a work on paper by Robert Motherwell. Now I realize how fortunate I was to be the individual to hinge the art and frame it.

I was struck by the incredible smoothness and whiteness of the paper in contrast with the grainy dark texture of the paint and sand. The thick paint had caused the paper to slightly buckle and warp.

I remember this because my initial reaction was not to look at the work as a painter but simply as an object before my eyes. I did not understand this "messy" thing.

Now as I look back to that day, I smile to myself because I was becoming acquainted with one of my now favorite artists. Although it hangs on someone else's wall, I can still see those broad strokes and the grit in the paint when I close my eyes.

That was a partial inspiration in the textural part of this painting. That Motherwell painting re-surfaced and assisted in the creation of this piece. Thank you Mr. Motherwell.