Like so many women, I am one of the first in my family to consciously bring light to past traumas—my own and those carried silently by the women before me. This drawing was born from a deep, transformative process of healing. It came after working through emotional patterns and limiting beliefs that I realised were not entirely mine.

Originally titled Passing on Pain, this piece became a gesture of gratitude and recognition. A way of saying: thank you. Thank you to the women who came before me, who could not speak, who could not create freely—because without them, I would not be painting here today.

The accompanying poem arose from this exploration. It speaks to the quiet suffering often inherited, and the need to witness and release it in order to reclaim our voices and our freedom:

“Tears shed in the shadow of men
Lock the heart in a prison.
They then stain the venter
Through which they are passed on,
Robbing us of our freedom
And our public voices.”


Created with watercolour and Chinese ink on paper, this piece is both a tribute and an invitation—to honour the unseen, to feel what wants to be felt, and to free not only ourselves, but those who came before and after us.

What was once passed on as pain, I was offered back as wisdom—transformed through awareness, compassion, and the healing power of expression. May it resonate with you too—through beauty, remembrance, and the quiet strength of those who came before us.