There are moments when a painting arrives almost like a gesture an embrace, a whisper, a presence that lingers in the room. A Warm Hug is one of those pieces.
This work is built from layers upon layers, each one carrying its own temperament. Some surfaces appear jaded, worn by time and memory. Others are smooth, almost tender, as if they’ve been polished by touch. And then there are the sharper edges textures that could pierce the skin if you dared to reach too close.
I wanted this painting to hold contradictions, the way a hug can be both comforting and overwhelming, both grounding and dissolving. If you lean into it, your hands might disappear into its atmosphere, like clouds dissolving into weather. There is no single sensation to grasp only shifting versions of the void, each one asking you to feel rather than to define.
For me, A Warm Hug is not about sentimentality. It is about the complexity of closeness, the way intimacy can soothe and unsettle in equal measure. It is about the unseen textures of connection the warmth, the discomfort, the vulnerability of letting yourself be held.
I hope that when you encounter this piece, you don’t just look at it you let it envelop you. Let the layers press against your own, and notice what rises to the surface.
Esther Akello 
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