"Love, Mom"

I am a self- taught painter. I paint on large canvases the pictures I see in my mind. Some people laugh when they see my paintings and some people cry. I only have one eye. 

I have never had an art show or applied to a contest. I had a dream- not the kind of dream where you hope something happens some day, but a literal go to bed and fall asleep dream. In the dream I was on a boat with my paintings, surrounded by water and it was very beautiful. It was serene and surreal and I was happy. And as the boat sailed closer to a beautiful archway I got very excited to see if i would sail through it to the shining city on the other side. The boat was heavy with my large paintings and moving slowly, so I tossed them through the archway and when I did they caught on empty nails on a white wall hanging like the perfect gallery. And they were more beautiful than ever. And the boat, with me and the rest of my paintings, sailed through the archway and the boat filled up with red fragrant roses. I realized that I had finally arrived and was at a deep peace. It was one of the best dreams I have ever had. 

The next morning I woke up and checked my phone to see what time it was. I scrolled right to see if there was anything interesting in my news feed- and that's when I saw the announcement for Arte Laguna and saw the picture of the very water i'd seen in my dream. I believe it was a sign. Especially since I had no idea this contest even existed. So, I must trust the universe and see it through.