Stillmark is an oil painting created during one of the most intimate and profound periods of my life - my... Read More
Stillmark is an oil painting created during one of the most intimate and profound periods of my life - my pregnancy. It accompanied me from the very first days of carrying my daughter through to her birth, and was completed in the days that followed.
The image that came to me was of the Seceda mountain in Italy - a place I had visited more than a decade ago. I felt a deep urge to paint it, as if calling it back from memory and emotion. Every brushstroke became a meditation; every moment with the canvas - a connection to the child growing within me.
We named our daughter Ciara — an Italian name that echoes the origin of the painting’s inspiration. The creation of Stillmark felt like a sacred journey, and submitting it to the Arte Laguna Prize feels like the final, celebratory step in that path.
Through this work, I wish to share a quiet strength, a moment of stillness and beauty - the interwoven essence of nature, femininity, and new life.
