"The Water Problem Connection" attempts to combine the different ways that the characters in three books (Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll; Mrs. Dalloway, by Virginia Woolf; and The Hours, by Michael Cunningham) deal with their problems, while illustrating how water is a theme that flows through all three. This painting also broadens the concept of character by including the author, Virginia Woolf, in her overcoat, walking to her death. I was inspired by the use of water in Mrs. Dalloway and by the fact that Woolf, herself, committed suicide by drowning. Her literary creation, Septimus Smith, experienced the feeling of being underwater. He sees the trees as though they are submerged and manipulated by undulating waves. Later in the book, after feeling trapped and without recourse, he ends his torments by plunging from an upper story window. I also noted the way Alice, from Alice in Wonderland, deals with her problem of being too big for the small doorway into the garden. Once again, water is present when her tears form a large pool.
The painting progresses from top to bottom. In the top left of the painting, Alice is crying and her tears are contributing to the ocean that has formed. Below this, in the mid-right section, Virginia Woolf is wading into this water. The bottom half of the painting contains the suffering Septimus looking out of his window at the watery scene he envisions. Alice illustrates a childish way of dealing with difficult situations. Virginia Woolf and Septimus both represent adults who seek refuge from their problems in death.
Since the painting is dealing with death, the setting sun was included to signify a level of finality. The few token lilies on the embankment next to Virginia Woolf are intended as morbid symbols. These were actually inspired by the conversation between Clarissa Vaughn and the florist in the beginning of The Hours. When offered lilies, Clarissa declines noting that they are "too morbid."
