The Microphone

Carved figures pack the frame shoulder to shoulder, cut in dense parallel gouge marks of hot magenta, amber and silver grey on a dark navy ground. Near the centre a woman in magenta lifts what looks like a microphone, one hand raised beside her. Around her, arms reach up, a curly-haired man in amber turns his head, and someone at the left carries a large board.

Navy, magenta and amber give it heat, and the grey figures keep it from noise. There is no sky and no floor, just people stacked from top to bottom, so the eye wanders until it finds the raised hands. The carved lines get bolder at 9 × 18 in. Hang it in a busy kitchen or a studio.