Zully Mejía

Happy Sunday, Everyone! I hope you had an enjoyable week.

After having a couple of months to sit with my piece A Safe Place to Cry, I wanted to put together an artwork description, not one that is necessary in order to understand the painting, but just something that anyone wanting to learn more about the work might find interesting:

Painted in oil on linen over the course of nine months, A Safe Place to Cry is a self-portrait that came from a desire to witness and create space for the emotions I was carrying. Embracing crying as a natural, human act, the piece became a source of consolation during a period of grieving. The title speaks to the comforting presence of nature, and it also honours the people in my life who made me feel held and safe.

By depicting myself looking at the viewer, I reflect on the vulnerability present in both the process of healing and the process of creative expression. This direct gaze relates to the trust and openness with which I approach my practice.

I explored multiple meanings in rendering my skin a greyish hue. It conveys the numbness, exhaustion and emotional depletion I felt — expressed through a lack of liveliness in the colouring. In contrast, the vibrancy of the surrounding plants highlights how my experience sometimes caused me to feel alienated from the people I love.

But the grey also carries a sense of quiet optimism. It echoes the tones of the Peruvian lilies in the background, symbolising my connection to nature and the healing I found within it. The colour reminded me of clay — earthy, grounding and resonant with my desire to reconnect with myself and remain rooted.

In its density and intricacy, the background evokes the emotional heaviness I felt and the overwhelming nature of grief. 

Over the months that I worked on it, A Safe Place to Cry became a quiet place to rest.

I hope you enjoyed learning more about the work, and thank you as ever for reading along!

Warmest regards,
Zully