Safety first

2026
Mixed Media, Acrylic on Cardboard
40 × 50 in

“Safety first” is a familiar instruction, something we hear from childhood. Put on your helmet. Be careful. Protect yourself before you go.

In Safety First, that simple instruction becomes part of play. The oversized helmet feels almost like armor, while the bright peppers and patterns keep the moment playful and full of imagination. The child’s serious expression gives the act of getting ready an unexpected sense of importance.

There is something heroic about it, but also very ordinary—a child preparing to ride, race, explore, or simply disappear into the world of his imagination.

This painting is about that feeling: the confidence of believing in the inevitability of your own possibility. A child riding beside the water, carrying his dreams with him and believing that whatever he could imagine, he could become.