Unlocked

Unlocking the unknown to New Beginnings

You might’ve seen the recent mural I painted in collaboration with Max Sandsing. It quickly became one of my favorite pieces I’ve worked on not just for how it looked, but for the story woven into it.

In the mural, Max’s character, a woman is wearing a key around her neck. I painted a keyhole at the center, which is a recurring theme in my work, and an angelic figure that leans towards Max’s character, almost as if delivering a message, while just beyond them sits an opened door with the keys left on the ground next to it.

To me, that scene captures something hopeful. Keys have always carried a symbolic meaning of discovery, of unlocking the unknown, of that moment right before stepping into something new. Across cultures, keys represent freedom, knowledge, possibility, and the courage to move forward even when you don’t fully know what’s on the other side.