Grasping Happiness

15 x 30 in

Acrylic on canvas

A stag beetle pulls a half-inflated smile balloon through the air. Once driven by the chase of happiness, it is now learning how to hold it. What began as pursuit slowly shifts into possession; something steadier and less fleeting. The work explores our dependence on happiness as a force that once ruled and exhausted us, yet, with time, becomes something we learn to carry differently. By giving this struggle to a creature we assume feels nothing, the piece reflects how deeply human that longing truly is.