Five Years Old

Acrylic on watercolor paper, 2025

On a recent women’s retreat, I participated in a meditation exercise that asked us to imagine our five-year-old selves and their dreams, walking us through our lives from the point of view of our five-year-old selves. We ended the meditation with a statement that our five-year-old selves would be proud of who we are today. This meditation really resonated with me, as I’ve been trying to embrace and nurture my inner child through my artwork as I begin to grow into my art style. I decided to make a tribute to little five-year-old Katherine in this piece, situating her in a dream world that encapsulates all her joys and hopes for her future. She is protected by a kind of horse spirit, a symbol I often use in reference to girlhood and womanhood, a beautiful pastel landscape, and her favorite flower, the daffodil.