40” x 30” | Oil on Canvas Belonging begins with respect, not ownership. Set beneath the warm glow of a coastal sunset, Belonging is an invitation to see ourselves as part of the natural world, not separate from it. It reminds us that peace begins when we learn to share the world with one another. Artwork Story Belonging has never meant ownership to me. When I painted Belonging, I wasn't imagining a girl meeting a mountain lion. I imagined two lives sharing the same landscape. They know of each other. They belong to the same mountains, even if they never cross paths. It's easy to forget that the places we love are also home to countless other lives. The mountain lion doesn't belong because we allow it to. It belongs because this has always been its home too. The little girl and the mountain lion are very different, yet neither is trying to change the other. They simply exist with respect, sharing the same sunset, the same hills, and the same quiet moment. To me, that is what belonging looks like. I hope this painting reminds you that we can be deeply different and still belong together. They each return home in peace.
