Bubbles

The first portrait I created without a reference, made for a college project.

Before this piece, I always doubted my ability to produce detail without an image to rely on. But I did it. I mustered the courage to trust my intuition and my confidence in my talent to bring a surreal portrait to life. Creating this piece felt like an awakening, a tear in the walls of perfectionism I had built so carefully.

My professor Marilyn knew how deeply I disliked her abstract way of teaching and endured more than a few rebellious attitudes from me. Still, she continued to challenge me, and eventually, something broke through.

I dedicate the beginning of my transformation to her, not only for this assignment, her patience, and knowledge, but for giving me the extra canvas that she could’ve given to anyone else, which I used to make my most important piece yet, “Impostora”.