In Residence

Acrylic paint on canvas 2023

In Residence was painted after I moved back from the UK during the COVID-19 lockdown. That period marked a shift for me. Art stopped being something I did on the side and became something I wanted to take seriously — something I wanted to build a life around.

Even though I was confined to my parents’ house, I felt an urge to be seen. To make the work speak beyond my immediate circle. While I was still exploring the character and style I found myself drawn to, In Residence became my introduction — not just to friends and family, but to a wider online audience.

The painting carries the emotions I was feeling at the time. There’s a sense of the unknown and of isolation. The background echoes outer space, reflecting that feeling of distance and disconnection. The floating hand balloon speaks to the strangeness of that period — when ordinary human contact felt interrupted, filtered, almost outsourced. Gloves, masks, constant sanitising. It was a time when even the simplest interactions felt unfamiliar.

This piece holds that tension: isolation, uncertainty, and the quiet decision to step forward anyway.