“Ritual” is from the body of work, The Woman and the Wolf, which is about a woman's life. On the one hand, the wolf represents a woman’s sexuality and "wild" nature, and on the other, her ferocious need to nurture and protect her family. The pieces in the body of work explore the mundane chores of everyday life, the drudgery, as well as the comfort found in the rituals of domesticity. While making this piece, I was contemplating the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The dog in the painting is wearing a stylized gas mask. Seeing images from these far away wars moved me deeply, and were always with me as I moved through my daily tasks.