OASIS WITHIN

In the heart of the desert, there was a pool of warm, salty water - a secret refuge where the world seemed to pause. That first night, I stepped in and let the water hold me, and for the first time in weeks, maybe months, I felt weightless in more than just body. The desert around me was vast and silent, the sand cool under the fading heat of the day, but the water carried a quiet life of its own - soft, comforting, and endless.

Floating there, I tilted my head back and looked up: the sky had spilled a universe of stars across the black velvet above me, and for a moment, everything felt in perfect alignment. The stars reflected in the water, and I realized I was suspended between two heavens - one above and one beneath.

The warmth of the water seeped into me, and the gentle salt kissed my skin as though the desert itself were whispering a promise: you are here, you are enough, you are part of this infinite rhythm. As I floated, I thought about transformation - how it doesn’t always announce itself with drama, but sometimes arrives quietly, like a hidden spring opening beneath your feet, or like a gentle current lifting you so you realize you are capable of letting go, of trusting, of simply being.

The “Oasis Within” is that exact feeling: the discovery of something alive and sustaining within yourself, waiting to embrace you when you finally pause and allow it. In this painting, I tried to capture not just the water or the stars, but the way it felt to be both utterly small and entirely infinite at once - the paradox of sinking into the world’s warmth while floating into its vastness. The shimmering reflections, the subtle warmth, the calm - they are all invitations to remember that even in vast, sun-baked landscapes, there is a secret spring, a place of renewal, wonder, and joy.

This painting is personal because it holds that night, that pool, that moment when I felt connected to something larger than myself. It is an invitation for anyone who sees it to float, to breathe, to let themselves be held, and to discover their own hidden waters - the Oasis Within that has always been there, waiting to refresh, inspire, and remind us that even in the quietest, most remote places, life flows and transformation is possible.

MEDIUM: 24K Gold and acrylic on canvas

SIZE: 80 x 120 cm

YEAR: 2024