The Rivers

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The Rivers*

On the river of life, we get caught up in the current of our lives; left turns, right turns, rapids, obstacles, and there's always a bigger fish. But we are also the one who creates the path our lives. We carve out our career, our happiness, our love, and our joy. We can't create the life we want as the fish, but as the dragon, we are unstoppable. The art is to remember we are both.

This concept came to me as a poem rolling around my head for about a year before I created the painting. "The rivers are carved by dragons, and the fish forget that they are them."

Artwork by Julie Leidel, 2026. *Illuminated Verse by Julie Leidel, 2025.