Trials and Tribulations (Radiant Resilience)
Arosal, Acrylic, and Gold Leaf on ¾" Plywood
26"x 48"
09/2021
 
This piece is a tribute to endurance—a nod to the hard seasons life inevitably brings. It speaks to the weight we carry and the ways it transforms us. Struggle is universal, but it’s how we rise that defines us. Do we stay buried in the mud, or do we mend ourselves with gold and emerge brighter than before?
 
Each crack becomes part of the story, held together with purpose. The gold isn't just repair, it’s celebration. Worn, weathered, and more connected, we carry our scars not as shame, but as proof of resilience. It's in this contrast—between light and dark, pain and beauty—that we find the intricate depth of the human experience.
 
Trials & Tribulations explores the idea of light emerging from the depths of the unknown, symbolizing clarity and hope in times of uncertainty. The fluid, winding white lines flow effortlessly across a background of soft blues, greens, and deep hues, like rays of light cutting through a storm. The golden accents, positioned like radiant beams, add a sense of warmth and energy, suggesting the presence of a hidden, inner light. The cascading, dripping textures evoke the passage of time and emotions, grounding the piece in a state of transformation. This work invites viewers to reflect on their own moments of clarity and resilience, finding beauty in the chaos.
 
The frame, crafted from Bolivian Rosewood, also known as heartwood, grounds the work with warmth and gravity. Dripping white ties of White Holly bind the corners with strength, echoing the flowing textures within the painting. An earthy red border of Argentinian Cherry surrounds the piece, drawing the eye inward and amplifying the cool blues.
 
Mounted on the wall, the work feels like Helene’s floodwaters finally stilled, held in harmony as if the chaos has been calmed and framed into something beautiful, like the French Broad returned to her natural state.
 
Artist Statement: Trials and Tribulations (Radiant Resilience)
 
I built this piece out of the plywood from my schoolie—the bus I once called home. It was framed in pine when I had nothing else, but when it came back into my life after Hurricane Helene, I honored its journey with Brazilian rosewood, Argentinian cherry, and local holly. Every choice was made out of respect.
This work carries the weight of perseverance. The drips run heavy, like the times I fought to keep going—vending in bars, hustling pop-up galleries, finding cracks in the system that didn’t want to let me in. The carved lines glow with gold leaf, not for decoration, but as a reminder that resilience is earned. Like the halos of Renaissance saints, it’s a light you fight for.
When Helene hit, my studio and everything I built was destroyed. I found this painting face down in the mud, and I cried as I cleaned its surface. That moment reminded me: resilience isn’t just survival—it’s fuel. It’s turning pain into fire, and fire into hope.
This piece is proof that even when everything falls apart, there’s always more to come.