Connect What is your favorite type of art to create?

I am a painter working in the language of abstraction as a means of catharsis. I am passionate about turning personal hardship into self-awareness and power, with painting as the reflective conduit. Transformation through transcendence has been a continuous theme in my life, and my work is an autobiographical response to those life experiences. These micro-moments relay a collective heaviness and depth using gesture and emotion to convey particular instances in my personal history.

Where do you find inspiration?

I am inspired by the process of creating dissonant elements simultaneously—the intervention of light into darkness, polished finishes contrasting with matte textures, and fluidity interrupted by sharpness. I am interested in the formation of tension and the physical manifestation of the intangible. There is a delicate balance between accretion and excavation as I carve into the highly textured surface-driven work, revealing detail while releasing spontaneous energy upswept in harmonious resign.

What would you do with $25,000?

The $25,000 prize would allow me to invest substantially in my studio practice. I plan to allocate the funds toward outsourcing marketing and promotion, expanding my social media reach, renting a professional art studio, and purchasing art supplies to create my abstract works.