This self portrait was painted on a textured surface that reminds me of the texture of wood. It was inspired on the legend of Apollo and Daphne, the nymph who, chased by the god, prayed to her father to help her and he changed her into a laurel tree, which became sacred to Apollo. This greek myth has always fascinated me, it symbolizes many things about love and fear of love... Well, this is me and many other women, living inside of a laurel tree, protecting ourselves from the risk that love represents, but feeling the strong desire to go out and live it...