She depicts a long life living in one body, the works in this period are tender, knowing and reflective, complex and resolved.
After this period between 2008-2011, her practice slows down and then phases out. This is her last phase of ‘real painting’. After this she couldn’t do it physically. These are rare and the last of the big pieces.
The work relates to her ‘Window Series’, one that spanned many decades. As someone who had to spend a lot of time indoors, in her studio and recovering from illness and surgeries, McNeely valued more than many others the positive impact of sitting by a window letting the outside in. We see the clouds drift by in this piece. The window paintings master the act of appreciation, the romanticism of the external, even after experiencing illness, grief, loss and extraordinary pain. The bodies in McNeely’s self-portraits often don’t show the artist’s face, the action is in the figure, in her contorted limbs, curled toes and splayed legs. The face of the other person in the painting remains anonymous but is a man, someone who was romantically involved with the artist perhaps or potentially one of the many specialists or doctors she saw over her lifetime. The straps in the work provide an elegant structure to the work and allow McNeely to play with the idea of what may be supporting us or holding us back.