I painted this without trying to make her beautiful or agreeable.
She came from a place of stillness, of holding things in. The dark lips, the direct gaze, the exposed shoulders, they are not statements, they’re confessions. I wanted her to look like someone who has learned silence, but never submission.
The textures are intentional. I left the skin imperfect, layered, almost weathered, because real strength doesn’t arrive polished. The symmetry flirts with control, while the roughness resists it. That tension is the point.
This piece is about presence. About standing fully in yourself without explanation.
She doesn’t ask to be understood. She simply exists.