CONTRAPASSO (Original Painting)

• 30" x 40" canvas
• Acrylic paint, acrylic paint markers, Krink alcohol graffiti markers, spray paint, embedded thread, gel medium, glow-in-the-dark resin (blue and pink), solid paint marker

'CONTRAPASSO' is more than a painting—it’s a reckoning. Created as part of my shadow work practice, this one-of-a-kind mixed media piece wrestles with themes of grief, guilt, depression, suicidal ideation, and the struggle for self-worth in a violent, chaotic world.

The title comes from Dante’s Inferno: the concept that the punishment fits the sin. In this piece, the “sin” is internal—shame, denial, fear—and the “punishment” is a world that reflects those feelings back tenfold. But there’s also transformation here. 

Every element was a confrontation. I made this while working through past trauma: grieving my mother, wrestling with my identity on and off medication, and facing the darkest thoughts I’d ever had. And then I lost my job—something I’d feared for years as a final, crushing failure. But instead of breaking, I applied to new opportunities. I survived. I found out failure wasn’t the end—it was the turning point. And I painted through it.

This piece glows in the dark, coated in high-gloss resin, with additional art on the back. Just like people, there is a forward-facing aspect, and then a hidden layer that harbors our darkest feelings.

If you’ve ever felt like you had nothing of value to offer, like you were drowning in noise, like the world would eat you alive if it really saw you—this painting was made for you.