At the time of painting this picture, I had been reading the writings of Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov, a Bulgarian mystic. It was a period of spiritual searching, of trying to find my path, and of recognising, coming to terms with, and controlling my inner demons. o this painting is somewhat autobiographical in subject.

The painting shows two figures, one pulling the other out of a a darkened ravine. The figure at the top is in full sunshine, the figure at the bottom is coming out of the shadows into the light. Curving around her a creature from the underworld.

The painting is about the yin/yang principle of opposites, of light and dark, male and female, etc.

As a painter it was a wonderful project to paint two figures in such contrast, and all the nuances in between.

The other challenge had been the unusual shape of the canvas. I had had it in my studio for some time, and created several pieces, neither of which were particularly successful, then one day I was staring at the blank canvas wondering what to do with it and the image came to me in a flash. I saw the whole painting on the canvas already done.