VALHALLA (2023)

Mixed media, acrylic, epoxy resin, tartan fabric, iridescent sequins on framed canvas Some worlds exist only in the memories of those who have journeyed through them. This painting was created specifically for the Macleod Clan and was donated to the silent auction at the Bal de la Saint-André in 2023. In Valhalla, the cosmos becomes a mythical realm—both a star map and a visual poem dedicated to an ancient land. A moon haloed in white reigns in the upper right corner, its core dusted with gold, casting a cold, sovereign light upon a sky brimming with multicolored glitter. A comet streaks silently by, tracing its trail among the stars like a message addressed to those who still know how to read the sky. In the center, the Milky Way rises as a column of silver dust, a pink and mauve nebula that glows softly in the darkness. And below, a gas giant emerges halfway from the darkness, veiled in blue, like a world that has not yet decided to reveal itself. But what anchors Valhalla in something deeply human is the fabric. A Scottish tartan—midnight blue, blood red, and gold lines—folded and sewn directly onto the canvas, spilling beyond the frame like a banner planted in the universe. At its feet, the thistle—Scotland’s national flower—painted in silver and copper, a symbol of resilience and pride that spans the centuries. Valhalla is a work of memory and belonging. It tells us that our roots travel with us all the way to the stars. That our ancestors do not disappear: they become the sky we gaze upon.