Waiting rooms act as physical objects of containment, an agent of transition, a boundary, or a threshold. Often these liminal spaces invite introspections into our mental, emotional, and physical worlds.

In your paintings, the one on your business card specifically, the placement of the colors, and even the placement of the faces, show me the continuous cycle of life and death. As I really looked into that painting the first time, I went on a journey of birth, life, and death through different scenarios.

Santee artist Linda Litteral is shown with her piece entitled, “Evocations,” in her studio at Space 4 Art in the East Village. An abuse survivor, Litteral believes in the healing power of creating art. Visitors can view her work during Space 4 Art’s Open Studios event on June 17.

Linda Litteral is a survivor of incest and rape who used art to heal from the destruction to the body and spirit which comes from physical and sexual abuse. In this courageous memoir, Litteral shares the story of her abuse, spanning eight years of incest perpetrated by her grandfather, a rape she experienced in high school, and physical and verbal violence she suffered at the hands of her first husband.