WHEN I COMPLETED NUDES IN THE JUNGLE, I KNEW THE NEXT PIECE IN THE SERIES WOULD TAKE PLACE BY THE SEA. THE OCEAN HAS ALWAYS BEEN A CORNERSTONE OF MY LIFE—I GREW UP IN A SMALL CALIFORNIA BEACH TOWN, AND ITS TIDES CARRY MEMORIES OF MY CHILDHOOD. YET THE INSPIRATION FOR NUDES BY THE BAY WAS NOT PURELY NOSTALGIC. DURING THE MONTHS I DEVOTED TO THIS WORK, I WAS SWEPT INTO A PERSONAL CURRENT OF DISCOVERY: REALIZING THAT PEOPLE ARE NOT ALWAYS WHO THEY SEEM TO BE. IT WAS A HARSH TRUTH, BUT IT BECAME A LESSON IN DISCERNMENT AND AWARENESS, SHAPING HOW I NAVIGATE RELATIONSHIPS AND THE WORLD AROUND ME.

AT THE HEART OF THE COMPOSITION IS THE MOON, A SYMBOL OF HIDDEN TRUTHS AND REVELATION. WE ALL HARBOR PARTS OF OURSELVES THAT REMAIN UNSEEN, AND THAT IS NATURAL. BUT DECEPTION AND MANIPULATION VIOLATE TRUST—AND THE MOON REMINDS US THAT HIDDEN TRUTHS WILL ALWAYS RISE TO THE SURFACE.

THE BLUE SEA CAPTURES THE CONSTANT MOTION AND UNCERTAINTY OF LIFE—THE EBBS AND FLOWS THAT SHAPE OUR EXISTENCE. THE THREE FIGURES CONTINUE THE SERIES’ EXPLORATION OF HEALING, REPRESENTING THE BODY AND MIND IN TRANSFORMATION. THE ROCKY SHORE THEY OCCUPY EMBODIES THE CHOICES AND CHALLENGES WE FACE: A MISSTEP ON A JAGGED ROCK CAN WOUND US, WHILE A SLIP ON A SMOOTH SURFACE CAN CARRY US INTO THE UNKNOWN. LIFE’S OUTCOMES ARE DETERMINED BY BOTH CAUTION AND COURAGE.

EVERY ELEMENT IN THIS SERIES IS INTENTIONAL. FROM THE MOON TO THE ROCKS, EACH DETAIL CARRIES SYMBOLIC WEIGHT, DESIGNED TO EVOKE REFLECTION AND EMOTION. MY HOPE IS THAT VIEWERS EXPERIENCE NOT JUST THE VISUAL BEAUTY OF THIS WORK, BUT ALSO FEEL THE LAYERED MEANING AND EMOTIONAL DEPTH THAT LIES BENEATH ITS SURFACE.