Recently, I’ve been focusing on reflections and distortions in my art and looking at how they can be used to portray perceptions of reality, identity, and separation, as well as unity. This piece is based off of a photo my aunt took while on our trip to Charleston, South Carolina this winter. While we were there, we visited the iconic Cypress Gardens that is featured in so many films (specifically The Notebook) where we got to go on a self-guided swamp tour in a canoe. The water, the trees, the moss, and the bridges were all so beautiful and that log-looking thing was definitely an alligator, don’t believe anyone who tells you otherwise. It was such a fairytale experience, and it was that very Anne of Green Gables and Where the Crawdads Sing kind of vibe that I hoped to capture some of in my piece.