There’s always been something about a forest path and tunnel canopy that stirs a bit of wonder in me... that feeling of stepping into another world, one that doesn’t need you to rush or prove anything. When I worked on this piece, I thought about how often we crave that escape, that breath of air between the trees where everything slows and softens. The figure on the path could be any of us ...looking for peace, looking for answers, or maybe just looking to be. And the deer? To me, it’s a quiet companion, a reminder that we’re never as alone as we think we are. The figure in the distance isn’t lost...they’re exactly where they’re meant to be: in the middle of it all, grounded, watched over by the gentle presence of the deer. It’s a reminder that sometimes the way forward isn’t loud or obvious. Sometimes, it’s simply about listening....to the woods, to the world, to yourself...and finding your next step in the stillness.
The play of light and dark in this piece matters deeply to me. You have to have the darkness to know the light ... to feel the relief of it, the hope of it. The shadows of the forest aren’t meant to frighten; they’re there to make the light at the end of the path shine all the brighter. That’s the balance I wanted to honor: the truth that both are part of the journey, and both can be beautiful in their own way.
