This painting is a huge turning point in my art journey. I started this right after graduating college, wanting to capture that point in my life in a painting. I came up with this idea to paint a self portrait, but with a twist: I wanted to create a landscape that I felt conveyed who I was and my connection to the earth. The two trees are ponderosa pines, which grow all over where I grew up. The background is loosely inspired by Flowery Mountain in Haines, Alaska, which is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. I worked this painting in many layers, starting with writing down my poetry, building up intuitive layers, then working it into the landscape it is now.