Between breath and moment

"A personal art series about masks, hope, and what remains."
— CJW
 
Expressive portrait with FFP2 mask, intense colors, red glowing skin—emotional representation of inner turmoil during the pandemic.

Image 1: The beginning

The first image is a moment. Between breath and instant.
Between all the news, thoughts, questions.
I painted myself—wearing a mask.
But actually, I didn't paint anyone in particular.
Just this brief moment when hope emerges.
Delicate. Almost unnoticed.
But it was there.
And I let it be.

Self-portrait with FFP2 mask – looking up, between hope and uncertainty, contemporary art in bright colors.

Image 2: The fire

The second picture is not a portrait—it is a state of being.
I didn't think, I felt color.
The skin glowed, the blue stung, the red screamed.
And I just kept painting.
Until calm returned.
Or maybe it was just exhaustion.
But I knew:
That, too, is hope. Only hotter.

Calm self-portrait with mask, soft colors, reflective gaze—depiction of inner strength after emotional crisis.

Image 3: Silence

The third image was almost silent.
I didn't have much left to say.
But I looked. And painted.
I was still there.
And I wanted to show that.
One last self-portrait with a mask—but without a mask inside.
There was only one look left.
Clear. Open. And ready.

 

What this art series means to me

For me, these three works are more than just pictures with FFP2 masks.
They are my way of dealing with uncertainty, change, and vulnerability.
They tell the story of what it was like to encounter myself—day after day, glance after glance.

I portrayed myself in this series,
but I think we can all see ourselves in it:
in the search, in the fire, in the silence.
In that brief moment between breath and instant –
where hope remains.

 
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