This drawing comes from a series called Life with Heather, in which the artist uses metaphor to explore interpersonal relationships. "When we get into an argument," Norman says, "we tend to target the same issues and like driving nails in our hearts, we hammer away with painful words. Even apologizing cannot remove the scars left in our hearts (or the holes left in the wood)." Norman, who grew up on Chicago's south side, taught drawing at the Rhode Island School of Design during the 1990s, and since 2001 has served as Chair of Painting and Drawing at the University of Georgia, Athens.

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