11” x 15”

Medium: Water-mixable oils over acrylics on canvas panel

In the Powerful People program, one of the sayings was "The way out is back through." That is, in order to be free, you have to go back and face the devastation you caused with your crime, seek out the roots of that behavior and deal with them. Otherwise, like a weed, the criminal behavior will come back. This painting is a symbolic representation of that personal growth for me. The cell has no door - but it's not the way out. To get out, I have to face the ruins I created and climb the steps out into the sunlight. The book in the cell held the key to knowledge. Hidden in the ruins are the broken Web of Relationships, my lurking inner demons of my "shadow self," and a skull representing the murder I committed and have to find some way to make amends for.