This iconic drawing represents Bartow's emergence from the deepest sorrow after the death of his beloved wife Julie Swan from breast cancer. Bartow depicts Julie in a left sided profile- the side of her body which was ravaged with tumors. He submerges a skull in her torso, and he depicts his own face looking backward from hers- as if rising out of their union into new independence. Rick and Julie had an amazingly positive relationship, they raised a son together, nutured and inspired each other deeply, they were band mates and performed live every week in Newport- She played base and he was lead guitar, songwriter and vocalist. It was Julie that convinced Rick to quit his day job teaching to become a full-time artist, she was his rock solid foundation. The drawing sold to a great collector as soon as it was delivered to Froelick Gallery, and it was subsequently curated into three important exhibitions listed below.
Framed with black painted molding, plexiglas.