2025 Diptych Oil, 24 kt gold leaf, and silver leaf on canvas 48″ x 36″ (24″ x 36″ each) The cheetahs embody opposing yet inseparable forces: speed and stillness, strength and vulnerability, instinct and tenderness. Though powerful, they are also deeply protective—qualities that came to mirror my own experience of womanhood and motherhood. The figure on the left, Lágrima (“Tear”), represents vulnerability, grief, and the quiet weight of transformation. The figure on the right, Canto (“Song”), represents resilience, hope, and the voice that continues despite hardship. Positioned beneath a shared silver-leaf crescent moon, they remain connected despite facing opposite directions, reminding us that sorrow and joy often coexist within the same life. The gold leaf scattered throughout the night sky and the fractured gold texture along the earth speak to beauty found through imperfection—a visual language that would later become central to my work. Ultimately, Canto y Lágrima is about embracing the fullness of our humanity. It is a portrait of the spaces where tears and songs belong together, where vulnerability becomes strength, and where even under the same night sky, hope quietly remains.