This painting is a bit different from the others, but so fun to paint!
Introducing: "As I Am" | Oil and Mixed Media | 48" x 60" | 2025
This piece felt to me like courage. The courage to be seen. It's about what it means to be you in the rawest, most honest way. What happens when we stop hiding and meet ourselves without judgment?
There's a certain vulnerability with being truly seen. Without the mask or roles to play.
This painting is personal to me. Recently, I've realized that I've been wearing an armor, pretending, putting up a facade to please everyone. Suddenly, I felt the urge to drop it all.
To choose truth, openness, vulnerability, and boldness even when it's easier to hide.
In the beginning, the inverted color palette was unintentional. But as the painting progressed, it started to make sense. It started to feel as if the contrast was intentional; it's like flipping our expectations.
The woman here is not dressed for anyone's approval. She's just...there. Bare and powerful in herself. This piece is a reflection on what it means to show up in our full truth. To let the world see us not when we feel the most polished, but when we feel the most real.
So, this painting is for anyone who has said, "This is me- not for your approval, just for my own becoming."
Are you being your true self or are you still hiding?
