12x16 canvas panel

Acrylic, foam clay / mixed media 

“This piece is about trust, patience, and the slow unraveling of ourselves in safe spaces. It’s a reflection of what it feels like to carry a heavy past while learning to let pieces of it fall gently into the hands of people willing to receive them without judgment.

Leaving a dark or unhealthy situation is one kind of challenge; learning to trust again is another. When you’ve spent years protecting yourself, even kindness can feel unfamiliar, almost overwhelming. My body has frozen, my mind has fought against softness, and my heart has recoiled—because being truly known is terrifying. Sharing too much too soon feels like stepping into danger, but holding everything in feels just as lonely. So, I’m learning to let things out little by little, at my own pace—sprinkling pieces of myself instead of pouring them all at once. This piece is a celebration of that process—of softness meeting fear, of color brightening the shadows, and of the patience it takes to truly be seen.”

-LA