Lioness is about claiming space—in art, in life, and within ourselves. For me, that wasn’t always easy. As a woman working in a male-dominated art world, I spent years playing small, hesitating to take up too much room on the canvas or in the conversation. This painting became my declaration that I no longer need permission.

The figure—perched in a tree and glowing in the early morning light—meets the viewer’s gaze with strength and sensuality, both wild and unyielding. She says, without words: I belong here. Her power is echoed below, where a lioness rests in shadow, calm but alert, reminding us that true strength doesn’t shout. It waits. It watches. It moves when the time is right.

This piece took seven years to bring to life. I first photographed the model—a woman radiating confidence I could only dream of one day possessing—long before I was ready to paint her. Over time, I grew into the qualities she embodied. After visiting the African wild and watching lions in their own kingdom, the final vision came to life: this painting would celebrate not only her strength, but mine—and yours.

Lioness is about sovereignty and embodiment. It’s about the quiet force inside every woman, the part that refuses to shrink. I want every viewer, especially women, to feel that same awakening—to look back at her gaze and think: This is me too.