The eye, the observer, raw, and wide, the core of what we are. It feels everything. Ever aware of the black tar like substance that grows closer by the minute, smothering and suffocating with its sticky lens. It looks at the viewer as to ask for help, but it knows it can only wait. This oil self portrait was created from 70 days of panic attacks I experienced in 2025 that left me hospitalized from October to December, and is a striking reminder of the resilience of survivors. If not truly living it is satisfying at least to be seen. May I be remembered for my strength if not for my joy. My resilience if not for my success. My fight if not for my peace. I see fear when I see encroaching but I also see might. It is not so much a question of who am I at the end of the battle but what I am?

Name Of Artist (So You Are Searchable!)

Ava Reynolds

Exact Dimensions

30 x 40 in

Year Created

2026

Materials

oil paint on canvas