From the Artist…
‘Held By You reflects a quiet, deeply human need for safety, the kind that is craved in the body before it is ever understood in the mind. It explores comfort, stillness, and the gentle protection that can exist within connections, even if you once thought differently.
Many young women, especially those who have experienced trauma, have the belief that they are unworthy of softness, that their body is something to be guarded rather than rested in, and that safety with another person is something that they could never experience. Trust feels distant. Comfort feels unfamiliar.
Held By You emerged from the gradual process of unlearning those beliefs. It came from the unexpected realisation that safety can return in simple, unremarkable moments, that peace can exist beside you without announcement, and that connection does not always arrive in ways you anticipate.
Depicting gentleness, protection, and peace, which are not extraordinary aspects to hope for, beg for, or dream for - but simply moments that every single person deserves to experience.’
From the Artist…
‘Held By You reflects a quiet, deeply human need for safety, the kind that is craved in the body before it is ever understood in the mind. It explores comfort, stillness, and the gentle protection that can exist within connections, even if you once thought differently.
Many young women, especially those who have experienced trauma, have the belief that they are unworthy of softness, that their body is something to be guarded rather than rested in, and that safety with another person is something that they could never experience. Trust feels distant. Comfort feels unfamiliar.
Held By You emerged from the gradual process of unlearning those beliefs. It came from the unexpected realisation that safety can return in simple, unremarkable moments, that peace can exist beside you without announcement, and that connection does not always arrive in ways you anticipate.
Depicting gentleness, protection, and peace, which are not extraordinary aspects to hope for, beg for, or dream for - but simply moments that every single person deserves to experience.’
Held By You, Acrylic on canvas, 24 x 24 in. (2026)
Includes timber frame.
