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The Empath (2024)
Oil on canvas, 10”x8”
The Empath exposes a quiet contradiction — a quality hailed as virtue can, when carried too far, hollow out the one who bears it. Here, empathy turns surreal: the figure’s head becomes an ashtray, a vessel filled with the remnants of others’ sorrows. It is both gift and burden, asking where compassion ends and self-erasure begins.
A vivid palette softens the weight of the subject — coral orange, muted green, and turquoise drawn from the streets of Mexico City. These colors weave a dreamlike quality through the work, disarming the viewer before the gravity of the narrative fully settles.
Through this interplay of color and form, The Empath becomes a meditation on boundaries — on the fine line between supporting others and losing oneself.
The Empath is part of Echoes of Mexico, a collection inspired by the colors and atmosphere of Mexico City, reimagining inner states through surreal symbolism.
The Empath will be exhibited in Confetti: Tiny Vices and Virtues at Atelier by the Sea Grandon in November 2025.
