Defiant joy
This piece is a declaration. I painted Defiant Joy in the spirit of people who laugh loudly, love freely, and bloom despite everything. I’ve seen this joy in resistance, in prayer, in mourning, in dance. It’s not naive—it’s radical.
You’ll notice how the centre opens into a space of light—a kind of breath. Around it, colours jostle, whirl, and spill like petals and voices all speaking at once. I made this painting to carry the energy of praise, to remind you that joy is not an afterthought but a life-force. I hope it brings that energy into your space and your day.
The cool cerulean and deep cobalt blues provide a counter-rhythm, offering space and clarity—a visual breath amid the heat. As art historian David Batchelor argues in Chromophobia, blue in Western traditions has often been used to signal transcendence and calm, but in many non-Western contexts, it is also the colour of protection and spiritual depth. That interplay of red and blue, heat and coolness, becomes a visual metaphor for how joy must be held alongside sorrow, how praise can live next to protest.
This piece is a declaration. I painted Defiant Joy in the spirit of people who laugh loudly, love freely, and bloom despite everything. I’ve seen this joy in resistance, in prayer, in mourning, in dance. It’s not naive—it’s radical.
You’ll notice how the centre opens into a space of light—a kind of breath. Around it, colours jostle, whirl, and spill like petals and voices all speaking at once. I made this painting to carry the energy of praise, to remind you that joy is not an afterthought but a life-force. I hope it brings that energy into your space and your day.
The cool cerulean and deep cobalt blues provide a counter-rhythm, offering space and clarity—a visual breath amid the heat. As art historian David Batchelor argues in Chromophobia, blue in Western traditions has often been used to signal transcendence and calm, but in many non-Western contexts, it is also the colour of protection and spiritual depth. That interplay of red and blue, heat and coolness, becomes a visual metaphor for how joy must be held alongside sorrow, how praise can live next to protest.
This piece is a declaration. I painted Defiant Joy in the spirit of people who laugh loudly, love freely, and bloom despite everything. I’ve seen this joy in resistance, in prayer, in mourning, in dance. It’s not naive—it’s radical.
You’ll notice how the centre opens into a space of light—a kind of breath. Around it, colours jostle, whirl, and spill like petals and voices all speaking at once. I made this painting to carry the energy of praise, to remind you that joy is not an afterthought but a life-force. I hope it brings that energy into your space and your day.
The cool cerulean and deep cobalt blues provide a counter-rhythm, offering space and clarity—a visual breath amid the heat. As art historian David Batchelor argues in Chromophobia, blue in Western traditions has often been used to signal transcendence and calm, but in many non-Western contexts, it is also the colour of protection and spiritual depth. That interplay of red and blue, heat and coolness, becomes a visual metaphor for how joy must be held alongside sorrow, how praise can live next to protest.