Coloured Pencil on Paper
H:22.4 cm x W:22 cm
2021
Leaving a Piece of Youth
This painting reflects the personal experience of encountering mortality through the death of a butterfly in childhood, and later, facing the loss of youth in adulthood. The work draws upon Matt Haig's metaphor of the caterpillar's transformation, exploring how profound change often arises from pain and loss. Just as a caterpillar must break down to become a butterfly, the piece suggests that through life's transitions and struggles, we can emerge transformed—finding beauty and wisdom in our metamorphosis.
'The greatest changes stem from the darkest experiences. We fall apart to become new. We go through the dark to fly in the sun.' Matt Haig
This self-portrait was made with crayon on paper.