I think Grief is a portrait painted as part of a quest to find subject matter that might appeal to a broader audience than just those related to the person in the painting. However, I am not sure it should be considered as a real commercial subject like the Children of Thailand as it works to convey a much deeper emotion. Also, I think it was painted around the time Christine’s boyfriend Sandy left her, ostensibly to visit his daughter in Australia, driving there across Europe and Asia in a beat-up old Land Rover. The painting may well have been Christine using her negative emotional energy in a creative way.

It is an interesting painting in the way it shows the strengths of the two application styles of the oil paint. You have the strong texture of the palette knife work on the rough shawl and background stonework, which then exaggerates the smooth brush work on the young woman’s face.