Started in 2021, my abstract expressionist series, Verdant, is a celebration of the coming out of a year-long period of darkness, both personally and collectively, as many people emerged from lockdown into a world barely opening up again. The paintings are a splashy green, vibrant and plant-like, expressing the overwhelming burst of emotion when we once again gather in groups and become alive with each other's life force.

The series is a reflection of my own journey, as I emerged from a period of suicidal thoughts and depression. In the spring of 2020, when the earth bloomed with life around me, I felt like I was disintegrating. But as spring comes again each year, I paint Verdants, expressing the soft slow coming to life, the gentle growth after a dark period, and the waking up to beauty lost in me while depressed. Spring comes after winter, and for me, the spring of 2021 marked a shift in my mood and the ability to see life yet to be lived as beautiful again.

As a socialist revolutionary, I believe that the emotional and mental health of working-class people is deeply affected by the systems of oppression we live under. My paintings are a reflection of my own personal struggles, but also a commentary on the larger societal issues that affect us all. I hope that through my art, I can inspire others to find the beauty and joy in life, even after the darkest of times.