Rise Lion, Rise!

This is a painting by 16-year-old Luis, who participated in our 2019 Camp. He's a fierce and fabulous young man who amazed us with his capacity for love and his ability to rise through fire. He chose to be vulnerable, and he discovered his truth self in the process.

This is his artwork. And this is his artist's statement. We cried so hard when we saw this painting and read this description. This is why we exist. Youth are gonna rise, we say. And, damnit, Luis sure did!

Thank you, Luis, for sharing this with us all

Title: Rise Lion Rise
Size: 40x28
Medium: Oil paint

Luis' words:

The purpose is to show sisterhood at its peak.

In the alpine where girls can be wild. Where women can be free. In our home is the mountains where we rise. The trip to Canada with a group of people I only met online was probably the single most important event I've ever experienced. I cried. I laughed. I opened my heart up and was as vulnerable as the person next to me. I can still feel the love we shared as we sat on the porch late at night talking about deep topics like sexuality, identify, women's rights and mental health. I opened up for the first time in years, maybe the first time ever. The most impactful moment was after a long hike across boulders and the sides of a mountains, we found a Alpine lake. One of the women with us jumped in the lake nude and she was free with nature. Completely zen and one with with world. I'll admit I envied that expirence and wanted to try for myself. I waited until I was alone and went into the water. I looked at myself for the first time and saw everything for the first time. I saw my beautiful parts, my ugly parts, my quirks and all the things in-between.

I saw my scars and saw that I was human.

I want you, the viewer to feel empowered and serene. To feel how we felt dancing and laughing during the most beautiful sunset. We got up at the break of dawn to do yoga with the sun. I want whoever sees this painting to be inspired and want to grow as a person in this society. Whether that means spending time on themselves or making art. Discovering who you are as a human in this life.

Girls are going to rise and we rose. We are magnificent.