Painted Over is a raw and emotionally layered 18×24 oil painting, built over a once-bright floral scene. In its current form, drooping black trees and brushstroke-heavy shadows dominate the landscape. Ghostlike steps in cool gray fade into the background, while a broken fence slumps across the foreground – visual metaphors for the weight of sadness, depression, or grief. Yet, at the center of that fence, a small flower begins to emerge, a sign of hope waiting for the right moment to grow.

This piece explores what it means to feel painted over – when past joy is covered by something heavier, something harder to name. As a school psychologist, the artist has seen how depression often hides in plain sight, including amongst our children. Teachers are often the first point of contact – a caring adult who notices a student has changed, quieted, become withdrawn. A conversation, a gesture, a connection can begin the return.

The flower in this painting represents that moment: the hand reaching out, the feeling of being seen again. Whether you’re the one offering help or the one needing it, Painted Over is a visual reminder that connection can be a lifeline – and hope is never entirely gone.