Salt & Bloom is the second piece in The Becoming series, and like all the pieces in this journey, it reflects something deeply personal; the process of starting over. But not starting from scratch. Starting from the pieces of ourselves we’ve gathered in the rubble. It’s the moment we decide to begin again, gently, not because we have to but because we’ve finally found the strength to let our true selves emerge.

This piece feels like breath after the breakdown. Like standing at the edge of the sea with your feet in wet sand, realizing you’ve survived the storm, and maybe even become more beautiful because of it. The textured ridges mimic the patterns waves leave behind when they retreat, like proof that something powerful was here, and left its mark with care. The ocean is relentless, and in its cleansing rhythm, it echoes the repetitive work of healing. There’s no shortcut to it. The waves come, and they go, over and over, eroding the past, sculpting the present, preparing the future.

What I love about Salt & Bloom is that it’s not about finding beauty, it’s about remembering it. It’s about the slow return of the parts of ourselves we thought were lost. Like the ocean, healing can feel vast and unpredictable. Sometimes it’s painful. Sometimes it feels like we’re too small against the tide. But then, slowly, the storm subsides. We breathe again. We bloom.

Each element in this painting carries that energy, the textures, the light, the quiet oceanic forces that sweep through us, even when we don’t feel like we have control. It’s a reminder that we can return to ourselves even after we’ve been broken, even after the storm. The softness you see here? It’s not fragile; it’s earned. It’s the strength that comes after surrender, the rebirth that happens when we finally stop fighting the flow and let ourselves bloom from within.

Acrylic on Canvas

30”x40”

Clear Quartz, Aura Quartz Cluster, Real Orchids, Starfish, Pearlized Abalone Seashells, Seashells, Freshwater Pearl, Coral, Resin & Plaster, White Sand