The Winner pearl earring featuring beautiful light-catching facets sparkling

featuring beautiful light-catching facets sparkling across the top of the gemstone

and leaves

its swirling blue-greens reminded me of lily pads drifting on a shaded pond

As an artist

The Winner pearl earring featuring beautiful light-catching facets sparklingWhen I titled this painting The Winner, I was thinking about more than just survival. I was thinking about the kind of strength that is earned through hardshipthe kind that leaves a mark, but never takes away dignity. This zebra stood before me as a symbol of quiet victory. His body carries the evidence of a life lived fully and dangerously: the scars of lion attacks, the hard won proof of battles faced and endured. Yet he does not appear defeated. He