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This painting was done for the front entrance of a law firm. I was asked to do it because to the lawyers there it was a symbol
of "fighting the good fight" and working for the people. I began by researching Joan of Arc, reading the Mark Twain
book, and looking at paintings other people have done of her. If I were to do a painting of Joan for myself it would be of
her crying over a dead enemy soldier or as Mark Twain described her surrounded by animal friends, but those are not very good
paintings for law firms. If I were to paint a picture of a battle scene for myself it would be bloody and gory and therefore
more honest. But I learned a lot in the process of painting this one the way it is. One thing I learned was that I have no
understanding of war, battle, or weapons. I am not a violent person and never had interest in any of these things. In the
middle of working on the painting I painted some arrows in a quiver and when my boyfriend looked at them he laughed at me
and said they were upside down. He was right. One thing that became even more clear to me than before is that painting and
drawing, or art of any kind are acts of understanding. In order to portray something well you have to really understand it.
I am still just beginning to understand these poses and expressions in battle and still beginning to understand the weapons.
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