This painting came from my desire to escape the claustrophobic atmosphere of the city, and the first place that popped into my head was the ocean, and tranquillity by the sea. But this year has been far from tranquil for all of us- even the ocean has been turbulent. This is reflected in the surrounding waves clashing and throwing over the painting’s figure. On the outside is a raw, uncontrollable energy. But inside, the figure creates the calmness of inner peace. When it feels like nothing we can do will calm the storms on our outer shores, we can still mediate our internal experiences to find balance. The world around us moves with the force of the tides, but inside we need to cultivate our own harmony and tranquility, like the symbiotic ecosystem of the coral reef. Reaching inner tranquility amidst a squall is communicated on the meditative expression of the painting’s figure. And like the painting, we will weather the storms around us too.