In contrast to many of my other paintings, I implemented a more minimal approach here to composition and the structuring of meaning.
The experience of gazing compounds as we gaze at the "gazing" maiden in stark profile. A foggy mist pervades the atmosphere, containing our view within the local space of an indeterminate vastness. A sense of universality is suggested through a lack of historically or culturally-defining elements. The stone wall implies an interaction between human and natural activity as well as a psychological boundary, while the tree takes on mythical associations of both rootedness and outward growth in multiple directions.

Beauty is a theme that is consciously explored here. My intention is to convey beauty through austere means that do not rely primarily on sexual cues to convince us that she is attractive and compelling.
Who is she and what is she "gazing" at? We can only rely on the clues in the composition for the answer. In this painting as in many others, I am looking to portray a revelation of someone beheld through inner vision who inspires moral excellence by speaking to us in an emotionally meaningful, personal way.