“Where is the light source?” is what my 96-year-old art teacher repeatedly asked while teaching me to paint. Through this question, I learned that art is spiritual, and the shadows used are necessary in order to see any light. I've found this so helpful when life doesn't make sense. When I look for the light source in my paintings, I can better accept life on life’s terms: pain and joy, shadow and light. Life isn’t black or white; it’s the contrast of shadow and light where things take shape. At first glance, my paintings feature bright, intense colors and bold strokes, but beneath the surface there are shadows, words, and sometimes entirely different paintings that tell a deeper story. This is because in real life, what you see isn’t necessarily what you get. Art allows me to plumb the depths of living things, layering shadows no one will ever see until something brand new emerges from the canvas. My brightest, most cheerful-looking bird painting was inspired by taxidermy. My brightest, most cheerful-looking portrait captures a woman who was experiencing not only joy but also intense sorrow. Attempting to capture this paradox–the contrast of dark and light–helps me make sense of life, and reminds me there's always more to all of us than what appears on the surface.