January-March 2026 by KAO. 20×60”, each canvas. Cheers to the journey, health & healing, and finding your genuine colors.
Introduction to Paradise (song)
(Time signature: 9/8)(Think: [1,2,3][1,2,3][3,4,5])
What morning is this?
When did you meet me here?
I’m in Paradise,
Everything’s surreal, as if I’d died.
I left my home for the first time.
I left my body again.
Only this time I will stay away,
For God knows how long.
And I’m in Paradise,
Everything’s surreal, as if I’d died.
What would find you peace?
I long for familiarity.
What an oddity it is to speak
Articulately what I mean.
And I’m in Paradise
Blindly revived.
I’m in Paradise,
Everything’s surreal, as if I’d died.
(What morning is this?)
Stage 1: Beginning progress on Introduction to Paradise, known at this point as “Annie’s Meadow”, based on an inner working/delusion of mine. Initial blocking of the background and middle ground, paint in the arch without detail. In personal news, in January 2026 an MRI revealed I had a pituitary mass needing further investigation, prompting lifestyle and mental model changes. I could be the person I needed to be to be healthy, I just needed a little push. At this point in the process I know I want to feature a tree and a root system, symbiotically, with light filtering through, as sister paintings, connected through space to create an illusion together like the world exists beyond the paintings.
Stage 2: Begin to develop detail layer from back to front. Think of what story is being told as I paint. What time of day is it as light is changing across the canvas? February 2026, I received the push I needed health-wise by getting a septoplasty surgery to finally correct my breathing after 28 years of being oxygen-deprived. Immediate changes. I thank the septoplasty for saving my life. I thank myself for continuing the path onwards. The light layers and details start to come through. I recover from surgery and push myself forward.
Stage 3: Final touches. This piece was customized to the client’s space- the lighting, layout, and colors of their home. The right piece was originally intended to be the left, but I found that the composition worked much better switched, and both pieces were touched up in the final week accordingly. This was a three month process of learning about myself, my health, grieving my past self and disabilities, and imagining the world to come. March of 2026 was about fluidity, something I’ve needed desperately for my OCD. I battle it with KST (Kelsey Standard Theory, which you may hear me reference). An example of KST would be painting the entire pieces intending them to be in one composition, the client saying he likes them better swapped, and then tailoring the final touches to the lighting of that composition because he was right, it was better. You are in control of yourself, but be fluid when needed.
Ultimately what I learned from this piece is that the colors are important both inside and outside. And by that I mean support, love, people, connection, everything. Both inner and outer worlds matter equally, symbiotically. I struggle and strive to find my balance where I can exist as myself and connected presently to the outer world. That’s what I’ve learned.
