Oil on canvas, 24” x 30”, unframed

I did this painting as I was teaching high school Art and I realized that very few of my students had any vision or idea of the accomplishment, relief, celebration and joy that graduating from high school could bring them. It just seemed like graduation was a vague, lip-service idea that didn't play a huge role in their day-to-day goals. I wanted to create something that could show them a peek into what it will feel like to achieve such a goal.

I believe this is one of the many superpowers that Art has. To show us things beyond our own imaginatory powers; to give us a glimpse into something that is further down the road of possibilities than we can see; to inspire us towards wonderful things that we can't envision because we are too weighed down by our day-to-day responsibilities and entanglements. Art can be like a crack in the ceiling by which we can get a glimpse of the infinite sky above.