I do not speak. I simply am.

This painting wasn’t planned - it emerged.
I was deeply inspired by the works of Dimitra Milan - her delicate balance between dream and reality, her bold trust in intuition. That same trust led me to begin this piece directly with paint on canvas, without sketches or outlines.

I didn’t try to control the image. I listened to it.
It felt as though the portrait was revealing itself to me, gently guiding each brushstroke. The colours were driven by instinct and emotion, not by reason.

The woman’s face appeared gradually, through pauses, doubts, and quiet certainty. I wasn’t painting a portrait -I was capturing a feeling: a silence that holds presence.
That’s how the inscription on the edge of the canvas was born:
“I do not speak. I simply am.”

This is the first work in a series exploring feminine identity.
Not as characters or roles, but as emotional states. A presence that doesn’t explain itself. A quiet force.

In the lower part of the painting, some shadowy shapes and textures appeared unexpectedly - a result of drips, stains, and paint reacting on the surface. But I didn’t cover them. It felt like the painting was speaking to me.
And I chose to listen.