My Back is Breaking | 18 x 22

18 x 22 x 1.25 inches | acrylic, ink, and pastel | 2011 | signed on the back | certificate of authenticity  

Note from Penelope Przekop:

This early work depicts a person who has loved someone (a parent, friend, husband, or wife) who sucks up all the oxygen in the room year after year after year until the emotional burden of trying to support them is unbearable (and unhealthy). The red woman in this image is on the verge of busting out and away, and the redhead seems oblivious! It's a complex situation, simultaneously sad and beautiful. Those who have felt this may understand. This piece is a reminder that you can't keep it up.