Serenity (2006)

This was the very first large canvas I ever painted. At the time, I was taking decorative wood-painting classes, but nothing ever turned out the way I wanted. I would get frustrated, step outside to smoke ten times during a single class, and convince myself that I had no talent. One day, my teacher simply told me, “For the next class, bring a large canvas and a photograph of something you would like to paint.” I followed her advice without knowing that this simple suggestion would change the rest of my story. I chose one of the most beautiful landscapes I had ever seen, photographed in an old issue of National Geographic. I had fallen in love with this deep, peaceful forest, where the moss, the water, and the light seemed to hold time still. To me, the landscape carried a feeling of absolute serenity. And so, my very first large painting was born, along with a part of myself I had not yet discovered.