The Tree in the Forest

This painting exists in that uncomfortable space where social awkwardness begins to shape identity.

Two figures are already engaged in conversation, seemingly unaware—or perhaps simply uninterested—in the third figure nearby. Between them stands a tree, creating both a literal and psychological barrier. From behind it, the third figure says, or perhaps is trying to say, “hi.”

She becomes the focal point of the painting, not because she is doing the most, but because we are left wondering what she will do next.

Will she step forward? Speak louder? Walk away? Was the “hi” heard at all?

The uncertainty is the point.

The tree divides the composition, separating the established interaction from the figure on the outside. It becomes a visual stand-in for that invisible distance that can appear in social situations, the space between wanting to join in and actually knowing how.

For me, The Tree in the Forest is about the small but surprisingly consequential moments when we become aware of ourselves through other people. Social awkwardness can make us hyperaware of how we look, how we sound, where we stand, and whether we belong. A simple attempt at connection can suddenly feel like a decision with stakes.

The figure saying “hi” is caught in that moment.

Like much of my work, the painting doesn't explain what happens next. Instead, it leaves the character suspended in possibility and asks the viewer to imagine the outcome.

Because almost everyone knows what it feels like to stand just outside the conversation, wondering whether to step in.