Solace in seclusion

The Vicious Cycle

We are living in an age of constant noise. My life had become a recurrence of "work, eat, sleep, repeat," driven by the relentless anxiety that I should always be doing more. I felt time slipping through my fingers, elusive and draining. In the city, we are taught that motion is progress, but I found myself running toward no end.

The Controlled Escape

To find stillness, I had to choose my own direction. I hopped on my bike and rode fast toward the park—an irony of using motion to find silence. In a quiet alley in Prospect Park, I was stopped by a breakthrough of light in the midsts of fall. The leaves were a brilliant, fiery yellow, backlit by a sun that transformed the "dying" season into a masterpiece.

Reflection

I sat in awe of this free, divine beauty, realizing that this peace was here the whole time, waiting for me to be still enough to see it. I painted Solace in Seclusion to capture that transition from the dark shadows of routine to the blazing light of gratitude. Every unhurried layer of oil and every deliberate placement of value is an act of Ihsan (excellence), a discipline intended to mirror the the spiritual solace I felt, reflecting on Allah's gift. 

I hope this painting finds a home, where it serves as a reminder to slow down and actually the beauty around.