The Garden We Carry came from a very personal place. This painting is about transition and how painful it can be to move from one season of life to another. The curved posture of the figure reflects that weight, but the flowers growing from within the body represent ideas, inspiration, and the possibility of a new life taking shape.

For a long time I lived in a constant state of stress, always moving, always responsible, rarely able to breathe. On the other side of that chapter, I began to experience something I hadn’t felt in years—quiet, space, and the ability to think and create again. This piece reflects that shift, and the realization that growth isn’t always something we find in the world around us. Sometimes it’s something we carry inside us, waiting until we are ready to see it.