As an art enthusiast who's always been drawn to creative expression in all its forms, I never quite imagined I’d one day pick up oil paints. And yet—Serendipity happened. Fittingly named, it’s my very first oil painting, and the experience was just that: a happy, unplanned discovery.

I’m a self-taught, amateur artist (if I may be so bold as to use that label), and diving into oil painting was a mix of curiosity, fear, and childlike excitement. I stumbled upon a reference image in the vast, never-ending world of the internet, and something about it sparked a need to recreate it — my way.