Together We Rise

Acrylic on Canvas, 2025

This piece was created with the intention of being an ongoing collaboration. I partnered with Rise Against Suicide in Boulder, Colorado, to visually reflect something at the heart of their mission. The landscape is rooted in a specific place. I painted the Flatirons in loose, fluid strokes that build and layer into one another, each mark building on the last. The colors subtly echo the nonprofit’s branding, weaving their identity directly into the land itself. I wanted the setting to feel grounded and familiar, a reminder that this work belongs to the people and stories of this specific community.

Perhaps the most meaningful layer, however, is the butterflies. This is the piece of the painting that allows it continue to grow and develop long after I have touched paint to the canvas. Anyone who has lost someone to suicide is invited to place a butterfly onto the painting. With each new butterfly, the piece changes and grows. It carries more names, more stories, more grief, but also more love.

At its core, this painting is about rising together. It holds space for grief while gently reminding us of hope. It honors those who have been lost, while grounding us in the idea that it is essential to continue showing up for those who are still struggling. By gathering these butterflies together, the painting becomes more than a landscape. It becomes about a community rising, layered with sorrow, resilience, and the unwavering belief that even in our deepest pain, we are not meant to stand alone.