This painting is a revision of a painting I did for the first iteration of the exhibition, The Only Door I Can Open. Now that I have grown while in prison, I can find peace within myself, and not just from the sky. Learning how to sit still and reflect on my life and my actions has helped me grow and I do a lot of that while on my bunk. I am the silhouetted girl sitting on top of her prison bunk, emitting peace from within depicted by the glitter.
The sky goes from light to dark to represent that no matter how bright or dark things are in life, I can always look within to find my own light. This goes for everyone, no matter where you are.
This painting was commissioned for the exhibition The Only Door I Can Open: Women Exposing Prison through Art, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 2025.
