Standing Tall
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Size: 100 x 70 cm
Year Painted: 2024
This oil painting captures the essence of inner certainty. It portrays the serenity of an individual who stands firm and unmoved by external opinions, comments, and suggestions. Despite doubts from others, it remains loyal in following their inner knowingness. This magnolia tree stands tall, unfazed by the weather, and its surroundings. And still, standing tall while patiently waiting for its flowers to bloom.
Inspired by a Magnolia Tree at Padua’s Botanical Garden.
The process of Painting
"Standing Tall”
There are moments in life when nature reflects back exactly what you need to hear. For me, one of those moments happened on an early spring day in the Botanical Garden of Padova.
I was wandering quietly, caught in my thoughts and weighed down by uncertainty. My heart was full of doubt, fear, confusion, and insecurity. Questions about my path as an artist swirled in my mind—Was I good enough? Could I really do this? Was I meant to follow this calling?
And then… I saw her.
The Magnolia That Spoke Without Words
In the center of the garden stood a majestic Magnolia tree. She hadn’t yet bloomed—it was too early in the season—but her presence was unmistakable. She stood tall and unshaken, rooted deeply into the earth.
There was no hesitation in her. No rush. No comparison to the trees that might bloom sooner. She knew her own timing. She trusted it. She carried her beauty quietly, without the need to prove or display it yet.
And in that stillness, she showed me something essential:
To keep going even when the path feels uncertain
To trust my own timing instead of comparing my journey to other
To stand tall in who I am, even before the world sees me fully bloom
The Birth of Standing Tall
That moment stayed with me long after I left the garden. When I returned to my studio, I began painting—not just the Magnolia, but the feeling she gave me.
The composition begins with deep blue at the base, grounding the piece in stillness and strength. From there, the colors shift upward into warm orange and rich purple tones, echoing a slow but certain awakening—like the promise of blooms to come.
Every brushstroke became a quiet affirmation: You are on your way. Trust it.
The Meaning Behind the Work
For me, Standing Tall is a reminder to honor your season. You don’t need to bloom all at once. Growth, beauty, and becoming all happen in their own time.
It’s also a message to anyone standing in their own moment of uncertainty: your strength is already within you, even if it hasn’t fully revealed itself yet.
Standing Tall will always be one of my most personal works—a conversation between me, a tree, and the quiet wisdom of nature.
with love,
