Love always feels like a battlefield......
This image came to me the other day while listening to Battlefield on the radio in the car. I’ve been working on it ever since. There was only one model that fit the scene, so I’ve had to bring back Manny the mannequin. Might have to do another series…......?

Don’t try to explain your mind
I know what’s happening here
One minute it’s love
And suddenly it’s like a battlefield
One word turns into a war
Why is it the smallest things that tear us down?
My world’s nothing when you don’t
I’m not here without a shield
Can’t go back now
Both hands, tied behind my back with nothing
Oh no, these times when we climb so fast to fall again
Why we gotta fall for it now
I never meant to start a war
You know I never wanna hurt you
Don’t even know what we’re fighting for
Why does love always feel like a battlefield
A battlefield, a battlefield?
Why does love always feel like a battlefield
A battlefield, a battlefield?
Why does love always feel like
Can’t swallow our pride
Neither of us wanna raise that flag
If we can’t surrender then we both gonna lose
What we had, oh no
Both hands tied behind my back with nothing
Oh no, these times when we climb so fast to fall again
I don’t wanna fall for it now
I never meant to start a war
You know I never wanna hurt you
Don’t even know what we’re fighting for
Why does love always feel like a battlefield
A battlefield, a battlefield?
Why does love always feel like a battlefield
A battlefield, a battlefield?
I guess you better go and get your armor
(Get your armor)
Get your armor
I guess you better go and get your armor
(Get your armor)
Get your armor
I guess you better go and get your
We could pretend that we are friends tonight
(Oh, oh, oh)
And in the morning we’ll wake up and we’ll be alright
‘Cause baby, we don’t have to fight
And I don’t want this love to feel like
A battlefield, a battlefield, a battlefield
Why does love always feel like a battlefield
A battlefield, a battlefield
I guess you better go and get your armor
I never meant to start a war
You know I never wanna hurt you
Don’t even know what we’re fighting for
(Fighting, fighting for)
Why does love always feel like a battlefield
A battlefield, a battlefield?
Why does love always feel like a battlefield
A battlefield, a battlefield?
I guess you better go and get your armor
(Get your armor)
Get your armor
I guess you better go and get your armor
(Get your armor)
Get your armor
Why does love always feel like?
Why does love always feel like?
A battlefield, a battlefield
I never meant to start a war
Don’t even know what we’re fighting for
I never meant to start a war
Don’t even know what we’re fighting for
Jordin Sparks
Love always feels like a battlefield...... belongs to the following groups:
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Trish Woodford
Gosh your work is incredible Tracey …....
shanghaiwu
brilliant
~ Ademac
Brilliant……………..
Lisa Jewell
OH my
I’m with the above comments. Brilliant. I see you’ve found my heart…;)
xxx
rjcolby
Stunningly brilliant. Incredible masterpiece. I’m in awe.
Mel Brackstone
Absolutely superb!
mikequigley
cool one – there Tracey – mq
TextureoftheSin
wow wow WOW!!! Tracey this is brilliant!!!
raymondoantonio
YOU ARE A STAR AND SO IS MANNY!!! BEAUTIFUL, POWERFUL IMAGE!!! X
Holly Kempe
Fantastic artistry Tracey!
SexyEyes69
wonderful Tracey! x
raymondo
Great work Tracey… x
Colleen Milburn
GORGEOUS work, TraceyMac!!
Shanina Conway
Wonderful concept Tracey and execution, love your tones;)
RebeccaWeston
Wonderful work, Tracey XX
Becca
awdigitaldreams
What gets me is how we can be so far apart and yet think so alike – this fits so incredibly with my new poem I am quite stunned! Amazing and incredible timing! xoxox
JennyMac
Fantastic Trace… and Marg is right… it really does fit so beautifully!! Amazing that you two could be on the same wavelength at the same time!!! xx : )
butchart
i love that song.. and equally love what you have done with it… can’t help noticing the black cat silently observing the battle…. i think we all have learned to wear are armour… some more obvious than others… it’s a bit sad actually.. the things we do to survive emotionally…. but there’s always hope that one day we can lay that armour down…..... beautiful work…...... love and light…....b
RavenSoul
Fantasy Fine Art Composites
Paul Vanzella
what an illustration style you have created here, love how you have kept a consistent colour theme..! Nicely done!
CLiPiCs
this is so beutifully done Tracey
but love doesn’t have to be a battlefield,
if it’s true it is an acceptance not a war
sadly so few of us ever find that
Love ‘N’ Laughter Kriss ♥
jenseyes
this is so true…...wonderful work darling x
linaji
he looks like he is about to let go.. and keep the heart that is inside! lovely!
Nascha
Love does often feel like a battlefield….it damn well shouldn’t though…..it should be the one thing that feels like peace and harmony. Great work Trace. xxxx
Anne McGinn
So true, m’dear. That’s why I am alone for a while – need the peace and quiet! Where did you get the mini-armour for Manny? Love your Ash sitting atop the battlefield…. am working on the Skype xoxoxo
billyboy
Wow. Leaving your work aside for one nanosec… I’ve so got to agree with Jane. Like she puts down that simple statement and totally encapsulates what I’ve come to believe is the ultimate truth. It is truly the blessed that find peace and harmony in Love… so many pass through life wearing the armour of conflict, always on the ready to face the battle which they call love for lack of a word which better describes the condition.
So what’s with Manny? He looks battle weary. He looks like he’s been fighting an eternity as he surveys the smoking battlefield strewn with broken hearts and wonders why… why has the quest for love needed to have been paved with the casualties of war?
But that heart by his boot… the one that’s larger than the rest… the one that looks as though it could still be beating… It’s as if at the end of this bloody battle, he’s found one wounded heart that is worth saving and I swear that next time I look he will have picked it up, held it close, and begun nursing it back to health… while protecting it from further danger with his sword. Awesome symbolism Tracey. Again you tell a story of a million words with your beautifully soulful art.
I loved your series with Manny… so steadfast and optimistic in his search for true love, and finding it in the most unlikely places. I too am amazed that you managed to dress him so convincingly, and that you managed as usual to give him such a human quality. Also love the way Ash is never far behind…
I faved this as soon as I spotted it, but waited till I had the time to comment. Glad I did cause it’s even deeper and more poignant coming back to it.
xox
Tracey Mac replied
You are such a beautiful thing, so let me try and reply as best I can to this stunning comment, that made me glow.
And yes, Jane is so right, as are you. Wouldn’t everyone love to find peace and harmony in Love, but alas, so many DO pass through life wearing that armour of conflict and most of the time without even realising they are wearing it. So it becomes like a second skin and invisible to them, kind of like an outer shell. Only a very lucky few work out how to keep love passive and serene, without the need for constant conflict, and they let it flow effortlessly with a much deeper understanding.
Manny has made it through the war to come out victorious and to live another day, by mending the heart he fought hard to keep from harms way.
He’s exhausted but knows he’ll have the strength to do what he must, in order to focus and follow his dream in the quest for real love. He’s such a brave soul, and doesn’t give up too easily.
Thanks for the amazing comment Billy, you always seem to add another massive dimension to my work, something that never ceases to amaze and delight me.
And thanks from Manny’s
xoxox
Karen Cougan
another wonderful series coming our way mate
xkc
nishagandhi
awesome
Anji Johnston
So imaginative Tracey – your work always inspires me
Shoaib .
so gorgeous .. great work
Rhenastarr
Stunning work as always. Your work is full of wonderful imagination and creativity.
rodeorose
Gorgeous tones and original work. Well done!
David Hibberd
Wonderful! Love it.