I’ve always painted women because their strength and resilience inspire me. But this piece carries something more, it says the quiet parts out loud. Desire, passion, love, sex… the things so many of us are taught to tuck away, to only dream about in silence.
For me, a second chance opened the door to all of that again. This painting is a statement, bold, a little erotic, but also empowering and open-hearted. It’s about claiming what we want without apology, about remembering that new beginnings are possible no matter how many times we’ve been burned.
There are always messages layered in my work, but the one that shines brightest here is this: don’t give up. To the women who struggle, who run on survival fumes, who ache for peace and long for love again, don’t give up.