After the Ring is part of a series about the complicated act of choosing when—and whether—to be reachable. As women, we’re often expected to respond, to accommodate, to be emotionally available on demand. But what happens when we turn the volume down? What happens when we leave the line open, but don’t pick it up? These are portraits of that space. The in-between. The echo. Summary - In this painting, After the Ring, a seated figure and abandoned phone evoke the emotional residue of contact after it has passed. Through luminous layering and softened edges, the painting reveals absence, anticipation, and the quiet psychological space where meaning lingers beneath silence. She sits upright, attentive yet psychologically distant, as the receiver dangles and the last traces of sound dissolve into the surrounding space. Words remain unspoken, but their presence lingers, vibrating just beneath the surface of the scene. It is unclear whether the opportunity for connection has passed or was never fully taken, and this uncertainty shapes the emotional tone of the work. The environment appears altered—softened, diffused, as though the moment has shifted the atmosphere itself. Objects that once held weight now feel lighter, almost translucent, as if they are slipping into memory. The figure remains, but her relationship to the space has changed. This painting captures the echo that follows contact, where absence becomes perceptible and meaning is carried not through action, but through what remains unresolved.

Name Of Artist (So You Are Searchable!)

Laurie Batter

Exact Dimensions (H x W x D)

36x36x1.5

Year Created

2025

Provide details about the signature

I hand sign each of my paintings, typically on the front lower right or left, depending on what will be the least intrusive, selecting a color that works with the painting palette.

Materials

Acrylic, collage, drawing tools are used in my paintings, including charcoal, pastel, markers. Collage is from found materials and sometimes I use elements from my actual palette. All of the edges are painted to bring the painting itself to the sides, top and bottom, so no frame is needed.