Picking up on the tumultuous energy of friction and dissension during recent times of contemporary global conflict and compelled to express this internalization outwards, Cecile created Cease Fire, a poignantly graphic painting that can be seen as a metaphor to the spoils of war. Dedicated to the perpetual potential of discord within humanity, and the universal impetus toward violence to resolve strife, we may see the work’s dominating red as an all-consuming metaphorical bloodshed. The brown dirt-like mass evokes the claustrophobic muck and grime of conflict and shots of steely grey conjure machinery or weaponry. At the top of the composition, a final flourish can be found, a vibrant and glossy candy apple swoosh, reminiscent of the Nike symbol: an improvisational wink, as if the goddess of victory herself had dropped one of her wings to ignite remembrance of communal hope. What ultimately remains is a portrait of processing inner turmoil toward a message beckoning peace. The paintbrushes used to construct the piece are thrown down as a final act and permanently adhered, as if stuck or wounded amongst the chaos of combat. This is the first time the artist left her tools of creation on the canvas, embedded like exclamation points to further drive home a highly emotional outpouring; a technique that would continue to emerge in her later oeuvres.