Oil on canvas, pressed flowers, 2025

This piece is a continuation into my sustained investigation about the connection between love and nature. To the left of the subject is a dead sunflower, which is juxtaposed to the bright petals on the left. In many religions and civilizations, the West represented death or darkness, while the East represented life. This symbol, along with the subject's direct eye contact with the viewer is meant to indicate time and change. The subject, myself aged two, is just beginning life, but her eye contact seems to be otherworldly, as if she's seen what's coming. I chose to paint this piece with watercolors to represent the instability of life, as opposed to the everlasting importance of nature.