Almost Happy

Almost Happy explores the tension between what we choose to show the world and what unfolds within us. The figure is smiling, yet the smile feels like an effort — almost falling apart, almost becoming a mask. The eyes, however, tell a different story. They carry confusion, vulnerability, and emotional instability, revealing what the face is trying to conceal. I create from my inner world, and the face is always my starting point. It develops intuitively, leading me toward the story that gradually reveals itself throughout the creative process. In this piece, the figure appears to be holding on by a fragile thread, caught between the desire to belong and the feeling of existing at an invisible distance from the world around her. The soft, colorful background represents the external world as I see it - vibrant, inviting, and filled with light. In contrast, the figure remains in black and white, trapped between emotional extremes and the longing to become part of that color while struggling to reach it. The tension between these two worlds lies at the heart of the work. For me, painting is a way of giving form to emotions that are difficult to express in words. Almost Happy invites the viewer to look beyond the smile and encounter the humanity behind it. It speaks to those moments when we keep smiling even as we struggle internally, and to the hope that, even in those moments, we can find connection, understanding, and the reassurance that we are not alone.