Grown Woman

24" x 36" x 3"
Plaster, acrylic paint, pigment, resin on wood panel

 

Grown Woman reflects how my understanding of adulthood has evolved.
 

At 13, I thought being grown meant perfection and freedom. I believed adults didn’t make mistakes because I was often punished for mine. To me, adulthood looked like power, certainty, and the right to choose without consequence.

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But now that I’m here, I see it differently. Adults don’t stop making mistakes. We just carry them differently. The discipline isn’t gone. It just shows up in subtler ways, like responsibilities, expectations, and the quiet consequences life hands us. Freedom exists, but it comes with weight.

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This piece holds space for that shift. Her bold expression carries pride, but also softness. The butterflies speak to transformation. Delicate. Ongoing. Not always easy.

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And then there are the markings on her chest. They’re black on black, so from a distance, you probably won’t notice them. But when you get closer, they show up. That was intentional. Just like in real life, the deeper stories and experiences that shape us aren’t always visible. These lines represent those parts. The ones people only see when they’re close enough to really look.

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Grown Woman is a nod to every younger version of us who thought we’d have it all figured out by now. Turns out, being grown isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about learning how to grow anyway.

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This piece is not available.