Last year, in a period of severe depression, I created a painting called "Ultra Marine." The figure is sinking into the abyss of her own mind, engulfed within a roiling, tendrilled extension of herself. The dark blue tones overwhelm the painting in their all-encompassing melancholy. I created Surfacing in conversation with that piece, as a testament to how far I’ve come since. Here, the figure is emerging from the depths, rising to the surface to take a breath, exhaling a radiance that dispels the darkness.