title: Coming Out
artist: Meredith Mustard
year: 2002

description:
Acrylic on wood panel.
24" x 24".
Unframed.

Gift from the artist, 2015.
(But I insisted on purchase.)
We own another Mustard.

notes:
This is one of Meredith's 'double' paintings.
The under painting hung on Meredith's wall until
one day she decided it "wasn't finished." She
took it down and painted over it.

There are spots where the colors of the under layer
are visible because the cover is thin, missing,
or was forcibly removed with a sharp implement.
The textures applied (via chopstick?) to the first
painting show through and add to the completed work.

She attacked the over coat with a chopstick,
and it looks to have been quite violent.
Good thing this is on wood—canvas would
not have survived this technique.

My wife has a very nuanced evaluation of this work
involving the artist's move from California to
Pennsylvania around the time it was made.
I think it is a still life of chinese take-out.