The works in this series are about the inner landscapes of women.

Specifically three historical females; Joan of Arc, Emily Carr, and Dianna Princess of Wales. 

 

In each of the Beneath the Surface-scape paintings, the image is mostly comprised of the white-ish, translucent surface, mimicking flesh or fabric. This surface is not unblemished nor does it always act as a protectant. That surface has an opening – maybe a cut, maybe a tare. A landscape is revealed, a landscape that represents the internal woman. Caroline Rust uses the landscape as a tool for the expression of the woman’s inner, emotional state or self. The landscape symbolically depicts some aspect of the woman’s personality or life. 

One of the primary goals of these paintings is the communication of a mood depicting an aspect of the woman’s personality or struggle. For example, in Joan of Arc, Joan is the singular fire, a flame in the grass against the wall of trees. She was an amazing brave force against the British for her people. She led in battle empowering the people of France. She was captured, tried as a heretic, and was killed in the market in Rouen. In Emily Carr, Emily is the enlightened tree. In Diana Princess of Wales, Diana is the isolated star in the sky. The reflection of this star is stronger than the star itself. Her legacy is that reflection.  
~ Edith Warton once said “Would you rather be the candle or the mirror reflecting the flame of that candle?”