This collection originated in central Italy. Just around the corner from Lake Orta, a valley filled with sunflowers caught my eye. A small house stood tucked away among them. I had a commission: to paint based on the theme of “sunflowers.” Inspired by my intuition and my joyous feeling, I created a series of paintings, one after the other. Normaly I work in oil paint. But for this journey I explored acrylic. It was drying in the Italian sunlight. Ultimately, the sunflowers themselves became a symbol of “light.” I was no longer interested in the details, but in the interplay of light and dark. And the rugged plant life juxtaposed with the softness of the air. My theme of “duality; strength alongside vulnerability” also comes into play here.