Sirius

Sirius

Sirius is an oil painting with oil pastel, created in July 2026. The work measures 22 × 30 inches, framed at 27 × 40 inches.

The painting explores the moment of clarity that can emerge through adversity—the point at which uncertainty, suffering, and the passage of time begin to break down the ego and force us to reconsider what we have been holding onto. Sirius represents that turning point: the moment when, after being humbled by life, we make a promise to ourselves to change.

Named after Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky and a historical symbol of navigation, the painting draws on the star’s associations with both guidance and the “dog days” of summer—its hottest and most difficult days. These ideas come together within the work as a meditation on tribulation, transformation, and finding direction after a period of darkness.

The blue within the painting represents both its emotional atmosphere and Sirius itself, a blue-white star. The waves that move through the background evoke the uncertainty and adversity that shape our lives. The central figure is based on a 19th-century sculpture, chosen to evoke a classical aesthetic and create a connection to Sirius’s associations with ancient Greek and Roman culture.

Together, these elements form a visual representation of personal metamorphosis: the moment of knowing what to do next.

Although the painting began from a personal place, Sirius is intended to feel universal. Every person carries a story of adversity, survival, and triumph. Life may humble us, and we may not always understand why we suffer, but the human will continues to rise, search, and fight for a place where it can breathe and live with purpose.

Rather than asking only, “Why must we suffer?” Sirius ultimately asks: Where did that suffering take me?