My portrait paintings feature zoomed-in, twisted iterations of weightlifters caught in the moment of extreme strain while performing Olympic-style events: the Snatch and the Clean and Jerk. The Snatch involves lifting a barbell overhead from the ground in one continuous move. The Clean and Jerk consists of two movements, lifting the bar from floor to shoulders and then overhead. Painted with glossy sign enamel, my hard-edge, highcontrast, multilayered, distorted images are a cathartic response to the current political nightmare we find ourselves in. They act as a call to action. Heavy lifting required by all.