This latest piece is built around the natural form of thorns because they represent, or are a metaphor for a feeling I cannot reach directly.

Thorns are protective, but they are also isolating. They create a boundary that is sharp enough to be respected without explanation. You don’t need to touch them to understand that they hurt.

In periods of disassociation, my emotions feel similarly guarded. They exist, but at a distance—present without being fully accessible. The thorns become a physical manifestation of emotional defence.

There is beauty in thorns, but it is not a comforting beauty. It asks to be observed rather than held. This mirrors how I experience my own feelings—aware of them, yet removed, cautious, unable to fully engage.

The artwork does not attempt to resolve this distance. Instead, it documents it. The thorns do not soften or bloom into something safer; they remain as they are. In doing so, they honour the reality of disconnection without demanding transformation.

This piece exists in the space between sensation and numbness. It is not an expression of pain alone, but of the quiet, persistent act of protecting myself when the feelings become too sharp.

Find more details on ‘Copper Thorns’ on the Purchase page.