Somatic Strands (2025)

Hair holds energy. It traps our history, our memories, the weight of old seasons, and the emotions we pick up along the way. Sometimes that energy serves us and fuels who we are—and other times it’s just heavy weight we were never meant to carry forever. I painted this piece during a massive personal transition where I was feeling that shift so deeply that I actually shaved my head while working on her. Built on a heavily textured mixed-media foundation of ink, charcoal, and acrylic, her flowing, windswept waves were brought to life with rich oil paint. She represents that raw, necessary process of recognizing what we're holding onto, honoring it, and ultimately choosing what we release to make room for our own rebirth.