Reach

2016
Acrylic & Mixed Media on Canvas
Dimensions: 18 x 24 inches

Collector’s Notes

Composition:
The canvas presents three radiant blossoms rising with quiet determination from a dense, textured earth below. Their stems arc gracefully upward, carrying the eye toward the word “Reach” emblazoned in luminous gold at the top left, where stars scatter like guiding constellations. This intentional placement transforms the composition into both a symbolic ascent and a visual journey — from grounded roots through flourishing growth, toward celestial possibility.

Color & Light:
The blossoms glow with layered petals of coral, amber, and flame, their warmth heightened by golden accents at their cores. Against a backdrop of deep, weathered teal and earthen brown, the flowers appear almost luminous, embodying vitality breaking free of shadow. The gilded text and stars shimmer subtly, capturing light and reinforcing the aspirational message that crowns the composition.

Medium & Texture:
The surface is richly tactile — heavy textural strokes form the strata of soil and the weathered grain of sky, while the blossoms are sculpted with layered paint, giving them dimensionality and presence. Mixed media elements in gold leaf–like accents enhance the word Reach and the celestial motifs, imbuing the piece with a sense of preciousness and permanence.

Style & Story:
Blending symbolism with tactile realism, this work exists between painting and relief sculpture. The flowers become allegories of resilience, rising through adversity toward aspiration. The golden inscription above does more than title the work — it becomes part of its narrative: a call to transcendence, to dream beyond constraint, to embrace the courage of growth.

Emotional Connection:
To stand before Reach is to feel encouragement. The blossoms are not abstract ideals but tangible embodiments of perseverance — rooted yet striving, fragile yet resolute. Their upward motion, coupled with the cosmic guidance of stars, evokes both inspiration and tenderness, reminding the viewer of their own power to ascend beyond limitation.

Context & Significance:
Painted in 2016, Reach embodies the timeless human pursuit of aspiration. It acknowledges struggle — the tangled density of earth at the base — but celebrates resilience as its central truth. For collectors, this piece is not merely decorative; it is a symbolic talisman, affirming ambition, courage, and transcendence. Its gilded elements enhance its aura of significance, situating it as both an artwork and an enduring statement of personal philosophy.

Message from the Artist

This painting grew out of a meditation on aspiration — that human impulse to stretch beyond what feels possible. The upward movement in the composition mirrors the energy of striving, but I was equally interested in the spaces in between, the pauses, the hesitations that shape our journey toward growth.

When I worked on it, I kept returning to the idea that ambition is not only about achieving but also about daring to imagine. The climb is often uncertain, layered with obstacles and doubts, yet it is precisely in that tension where transformation occurs. Each texture here is a reminder of resistance: the grit that challenges us, but also strengthens us.

To me, Reach is a visual affirmation that yearning itself is meaningful. Even when the summit feels far, there is beauty in the act of extending ourselves, of stepping into the unknown with trust that the effort is worthwhile.