The Painted Shadow

Jeff Tillery's first museum exhibition is the culmination of years of work. But on opening night, he notices something wrong with one of his paintings. The figures have moved. A woman who should be in profile is now facing forward. Smiling. He photographs the canvas and compares it to his reference images at home. Everything matches. He tells himself he remembered wrong. One week later, at his book signing, he sees it again.
The figures have shifted positions. One now points directly at him. That night, he pulls out the photographs again. The woman is gone from the image. But Jeff is still looking at the painting. And something in the painting has started looking back.