This piece was the result of ambiguity. We had planned to backpack for a few months, and about a week after we got to Europe everything closed. We ended up in a place we didn’t expect for an unclear amount of time, as the world felt strange and unrecognizable. I couldn’t find it in me to paint anything I had planned, or that “worked” in my portfolio. My inspiration just refused to let me paint anything else until I painted this. I just couldn’t use the same colors I usually do, and as a result I feel like this piece captured the feeling of strangeness that we all experienced. I finally chose the title ‘Sandbanks’ because the red tones coincidentally matched the sand coastline where we were staying - but also because something so solid and secure feeling - like a sandbank- can appear or disappear in a night, depending on weather, swell, or things out of our control. Her expression and pose is ambiguous, and can look peaceful, or anxious depending on your perspective, which is what this moment felt to me as we all were in lockdown in our homes. She is floating in water, a symbol of trust, a letting go of control, an easing into the flow of what is, and the ocean is also where I personally find rejuvenation. I feel this piece captures the choice of slowing down to receive the present moment, with everything that it brings, instead of living in wait of what is next.