To be bewildered unaware in a dark contemplation becomes my nocturnal enchantment.
It is only during the early hours of night that I find enough silence to be able to piece together the beads and strands of my thoughts.

These moments break upon me with waves of despair and hope, and through them I am able to piece out the meaning of time as it passes, like a sea current, intangible yet undeniable in its pull and presence.

Though these recollections and the emotions that arise with them sometimes threaten to sweep me away, I do not hold back, allowing them to carry me where they will.
I know the tempest will pass and I will emerge in a state far removed from when I first began the journey, but in the same physical place, and in the same state of solitude.

My paintings stand witness to these curious journeys into my head, like journals of voyages to which only I am privy. They are little interludes of stepping back into my self, like the step you take backwards to balance yourself out before you venture out again.
They tell the story of past things in my life, my fears and desires, as I grope through the quiet darkness of night and approach the light of day.

-MICHELLE PAULINE LIM-