The Guide is rooted in a personal moment of wonder and orientation. While snorkeling above the ocean floor, I was unexpectedly joined by a stingray that glided just beneath me—calm, graceful, and seemingly unbothered by my presence. For several long moments, it led me forward, as if showing the way.

In the painting, the stingray emerges and approaches a bed of coral that resembles blue hydrangeas—an intentional echo of land-based memory. The piece speaks to the quiet intelligence of marine life and the deep, often wordless connections we can experience across species. It is both an invitation and a reminder: sometimes we not the explorers, but the one being shown the path.