The Ballerina

Description

The story of The Ballerina

She is what it feels like to finally have something beautiful and not yet trust that it can stay.

I began The Ballerina in August 2023, in a painting space that Kevin made for me when we started building our life together. I had been away from the canvas for years. She was the first painting I made after coming back to it.

My life was changing in ways I had wanted for a long time. Love, steadiness, a place to work. I was happy. I was also waiting for it to be taken away. I had learned that good things disappear, and even standing inside something wonderful, part of me was bracing for it to end.

That is what her body is doing. Her head thrown back, her weight turning away from you. She wants to surrender to the moment, and she is still asking whether it is real. She is not dancing out of pure joy, and she is not grieving. She lives somewhere between the two.

She is silver because silver is what the painting needed. I build the light first and let the shadow follow, and against the matte black the silver became her form, her movement, her presence. She is revealed only where the light touches her.

The original took about eighty hours across two years. I finished her in 2025.

If you have rebuilt your life, or lost something, or you are standing in a moment of happiness that feels almost too good to trust, I hope you find something of yourself in her. And if you know none of my story and simply see a woman in motion, that belongs to you too.

24″ × 24″ Exclusive Edition — Hand-Embellished Canvas

The closest a print can come to the original. Each canvas leaves my studio with additional highlights and finishing touches painted by my own hand, so no two in the edition are identical.

• Strictly limited to 15 canvases
• 24″ × 24″ giclée on artist canvas, gallery-wrapped and stretched, 1.5-inch depth
• Solid black edges — the image is not mirrored around the sides
• Hand-embellished by Ashley Karno with silver highlights and finishing touches; embellishment details finalized with each collector
• Hand-signed and individually hand-numbered
• Certificate of Authenticity included
• Arrives ready to hang; no frame needed
• Colors may vary slightly from screen to canvas
• Once all 15 find homes, the edition closes permanently

The Certificate of Authenticity applies to this hand-embellished canvas edition. It does not authenticate or convey ownership of the original painting.

Shipping

• I inspect and embellish every canvas myself before it leaves the studio
• Each canvas ships boxed, corner-protected, and wrapped for its size and destination
• Because each piece is hand-finished, please allow 2–3 weeks before your canvas ships; you receive tracking once it is on its way
• International shipping is available; customs duties, taxes, or import fees are the recipient’s responsibility
• If your canvas arrives damaged, contact us within seven days with photos of the artwork and packaging, and we will make it right

Care

Hang away from direct sunlight and excess humidity. Dust gently with a dry, soft cloth. No glass needed.

Giving back

Ten percent of proceeds from every art sale supports FavorHouse of Northwest Florida and Gulf Coast Kids House — organizations helping children and families affected by abuse.