Elizabeth Matthews
In these works an empty chair symbolizes an invitation, or a record that an invitation wasn’t accepted. An empty chair can also represent someone who was here and is now missing. I use the empty chair to explore rich human themes that are under examined such as domestic violence, parental alienation, as well as humor and enlightenment.
Hope
Oil on Canvas, 48 x 36
Out of the Wilderness
Oil triptych, 48 x 36
Portrait of a Missing Couple
Oil triptych, 48 x 36
In 1936 Anna Freud coined the term blame-shifting: when a person attributes their own unwanted thoughts, feelings, or motives onto another person (A. Freud, 1936). Blame-shifting destroys the credibility of the innocent and allows the trickster to avoid consequences.
Unsettling
Oil on linen, triptych, 24 x 36
Missing (with apologies to Theodore Waddell)
Acrylic on paper, 20 x 16
Untold Aftermath
Oil quadriptych, 49 x 24.5
Without Authentication
Oil diptych, 74 x 48
Telling my story after being stripped of legitimacy by two generations
Storytelling can have a negative effect on the life of a single individual. Storytellers know that those listening will believe whoever is first to tell and that the story gains credibility by being retold many times. Daniel Kahneman describes this human tendency to believe the first telling of a story in his book “Thinking Fast and Slow.” He says we like to believe whoever is first to tell and as humans we rarely check our sources or give others the chance to authenticate the stories told about them. In this way the human family is easily deceived and may inadvertently participate in sharing false stories that isolate and undermine innocent individuals.
In this artwork the story being told lacks authentication. This is symbolized by the blank color shapes representing a missing Chinese chop or seal that is traditionally used to verify and validate authenticity of a work.
To learn more about these artworks here are two articles that give insights into families of domestic violence. What Awful Marriages and Cults have in Common and The Cult of Parenthood: A Qualitative Study of Parental Alienation and here is a talk given by Elder Quentin L. Cook called When Evil Appears Good and Good Appears Evil which explains how the skilled salesman convinces the innocent and unsuspecting to believe that being good brings unhappiness.
Indoctrination of the Innocent
Oil on linen, 24 x 30 “Grooming” is the manipulator’s methodology to gain faithful followers.
Turbulent Times
Oil on linen, 9.5 x 11.5 Turbulent times are opportunities for us to thrive spiritually. President Russell M. Nelson, October 2020
Opportunity Cost
18 x 23, Oil on linen
We All Fall Down
Charcoal and colored pencil on paper, 19.5 x 15.5
Inanimate Escape (with apologies to Eadweard Muybridge)
Oil on canvas triptych, 25 x 25
Warned to Flee
Acrylic on paper
Elijah’s Fire on Mount Carmel
Acrylic on paper, 16 x 20
I Have Replaced You
Oil on panel, 11 x 10
Family Games
Oil on panel, 11 x 10
Missing Matador
Acrylic and ink on paper, 36 x 34.5
Where are you going with this?
Mixed media, 36 x 37
Defending my Position
Oil on panel, 11 x 30
Targeting Blame (with apologies to Piet Mondrian)
Acrylic on paper, 24 x 30
Emotional abuse is focused on manipulating the victim until they blame themselves. This is also called “gaslighting.”
Indoctrination of the Innocent
Indoctrination of the Innocent 24 x 30, oil on linen Indoctrination is the process of teaching a person or group to accept a set of beliefs uncritically. (dictionary.com)
Elizabeth Matthews 