I chose to paint my daughter—a beloved child with special needs—as the central figure in my work. In the painting, she sits on a rock in nature, surrounded by a vibrant landscape, yet wrapped in a deep inner silence. I wanted to express the gap between physical presence and emotional presence; she is there, tangible, her body in the world—yet her spirit seems to reside elsewhere. She lives within herself, in a rich and different inner world that is not always accessible to those looking from the outside. The painting holds this tension—between being present and not being—and speaks to the complex, delicate journey through which we, those around her, are learning to truly see her.