Resisting Closure is a series that investigates the peculiarities of family dynamics strained by a terminal illness. At that time our family was dealing with the complex issues that often surround this occurence. The resultant imagery is embedded with a psychology that continues to challenge my thinking today. The forms are often forced into a cramped space and beset by sharp and angular elements to enliven an otherwise quiet atmosphere. I first observed this duck syndrome relationship between mark making and atmosphere in early Netherlandish painting.