34x30 inches. Oil on linen. Inquire about this piece.
World of Wonder was created in an effort to capture my daughter’s vivid imagination and love for reading. I wanted it to feel welcoming and vibrant, with just a touch of the dark and the dangerous, because that’s how childhood often feels—safe and bright, but edged with mystery. The circular composition, along with the wide variety of colors and textures, was an intentional design choice meant to draw the viewer into her secret kingdom of story and play.
I included both a dragon and a cicada, since 2024 was the year of these creatures. The dragon symbolizes the mythical, the untamed, and the power of imagination; the cicada represents cycles of life, transformation, and endurance. For me, those two symbols together became especially meaningful. I worked on this painting during one of the most tumultuous times in my life, when uncertainty and change were constant companions. Creating something light and whimsical wasn’t just an artistic choice—it was a lifeline. On the really hard days, the act of painting this enchanted refuge kept me excited to create and reminded me that beauty and wonder still existed alongside struggle.
Within the broader context of Little Kingdoms, this piece is about the hidden worlds we carry inside of us. My daughter’s “little kingdom” is her imagination, her books, her capacity to conjure friends and adventures that exist only for her. But I believe we all have our own inner sanctuaries—places of play, escape, and possibility. Sometimes they are born out of joy, sometimes out of hardship, but they are essential to survival. In World of Wonder, I invite the viewer not just to peek into my daughter’s kingdom, but also to reconnect with their own.
