I've Always Been Told I'm Too Sensitive

“I've Always Been Told I'm Too Sensitive”
Acrylic and pumice on canvas
24 x 24 x 1.5 in

This original abstract painting looks simple upon first glance, but I believe that's why it's so impactful. The "denim-blue" color against the white background has a certain richness to it that draws the viewer in.

The title of this work is dedicated to the sensitive ones, as I have always been told I'm "too sensitive." I've always been a crier. I can't help it, it's just how I'm wired. I'm wired for the tears to run down my face, in happy, sad, and angry circumstances.

I fought it for a long time, and now in my mid-thirties, I've just decided to embrace it! Why fight it? Why fight who I am and who I have always been? I like being a deep person who dives in headfirst with my heart open. 

If you are the same, this is for you, my fellow sensitive being. There is nothing wrong with you and it's needed for you to be open with your emotions - it reminds people that they can be too.

Here's the accompanying poem:

"the water leaks from my eyes
like a spring pushing through the earth

is the Earth too weak
because it allows water to flow from within it?

maybe my role isn’t to be a tall, rigid, mountain
maybe
it’s a freshwater spring"

This painting was featured in Laura Mitsu's debut solo exhibition "Poetic Abstraction" in April-May 2024 in San Francisco, CA.