“The Struggle”

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Acrylic paint on 16” x 20” x .75” canvas, ready to hang with image-wrapped edges.

(Shipping is an additional cost.)

This painting began with a simple idea that quickly took on a life of its own. I started sketching long, flowing vines, curious to see where they would lead. As the drawing developed, I realized they reminded me of something much more familiar: the way life often feels.

The orange-yellow vine represents the challenges we all face. The blue-green vine represents hope, resilience, and the part of us that keeps moving forward. Neither vine wins. Instead, they twist, wrap around one another, and become impossible to separate.

That felt honest to me.

Life isn't made up of only struggles or only joyful moments. Most days are a mixture of both. Our difficulties shape us, but so do our moments of laughter, hope, and determination. They become intertwined in ways we often don't recognize until we step back and look at the bigger picture.

Sometimes I wonder what this painting would look like if I had tried to separate the two vines. I don't think it would have been nearly as interesting.

Maybe that's true of life, too.