Diana Shaul Fine Art

Story: I've been in this room for so long, I've almost forgotten what life outside it was like. I guess I've allowed myself to get used to the stone walls and the high ceilings and the cold. I stepped into this room almost by accident. Just one stray thought, and I was drawn along the path that led here, unaware that the door would slam shut behind me. When I ventured here, it never even occurred to me that I might end up trapped. This place turns days into weeks and weeks into months, and now I'm not sure how long I've been here. But today I began to realise that even if I can survive here, I should want more than that. I thought at first that to solve my problem I'd need to find a way to scale the walls and smash through the ceiling. I didn't know how a person like me might accomplish that. But something happened when I was trying to come up with a plan. A window appeared, as if the walls had read my mind and granted one of my wishes. I had a solution – or part of one – just like that! An emotion I almost didn't recognise coursed through me. It wasn't fear, so familiar to me, or anything akin to that. I thought it might be happiness or even excitement, but before I could identify it, I noticed that the room had filled with butterflies. One of the beautiful creatures had landed on my hand. Now I feel in my heart that the seal around the door has broken. I am no longer trapped. One day, a long time ago, I allowed hope to desert me. Today I summoned it back.

Media: Acrylic and mixed media

Surface: Box canvas

Size: 30cm x 40cm x 1.5cm [depth]; 11.81" x 15.75" x 0.59" [depth]