My Artist statement for This piece

This is Vigil.

She’s sitting with a candle, but the flame isn’t really lighting the room. It’s lighting _her_.

I painted her at 3 AM. Not literally — but that’s the feeling. It’s that hour when the world goes quiet and black, and the only light comes from one small flame you lit yourself.

She lit this one candle to keep herself company while she thinks. Her face is warm — reds, oranges, golds — like the candlelight is inside her skin, not just on it. But her eyes... they’re tired and sharp. She’s been awake too long, replaying a conversation she can’t let go of.

The left side of her face dissolves into shadow and loose pink-white strokes. That’s the part of her that’s unraveling. The right side is more solid, more defiant. She’s holding herself together by will.

The candle hasn’t melted much yet. She just lit it. Which means whatever decision she’s making, she’s only at the start of it. The night is long, and she’s choosing to face it awake.

I don’t paint perfect portraits. I paint what it feels like to be a person. And this feels like holding yourself together by candlelight.

_Expressionist portrait, oil/acrylic with heavy impasto_