Please Stop Loving Me (I am none of these things): 9"x12" - ink, acrylic, and marker on bristol board

I took the name for this piece from a song by The Cure called "End". It's about how tortured relationships can be as they are falling apart. I thought it might be interesting to show the evolution of the painting from early sketches. The first sketch must be at least a year before the final art (maybe two). At the time, I was thinking about what we put ourselves though trying to make others happy (kind of a more intense version of wearing your heart on your sleeve).

Recently, I've been exploring my feelings about male/female relationships. Both men and women feel like they're getting the shitty end of the stick most of the time...but I'm a guy, so I can only speak to the male perspective without speculating. I've watched close friends of mine get their hearts ripped out and I've still got lingering wounds of my own.