This painting explores the boundary between consciousness and shadow.

In Jungian terms, the scorpion belongs to the shadow: the part of the psyche that carries fear, instinct, poison and the capacity for transformation. It appears dangerous because it can disturb the accepted image of the ego, but it also protects what consciousness has refused to confront.

Immense power is hidden in the shadow. The ego fears it because it is unknown and because it challenges the identity we have already established as our persona. Yet consciousness and shadow are not opposites to be separated; they are two forces that exist beside one another, each holding a different kind of power. Hiding the shadow is not healing; it only protects the ego.

Some things remain alive in darkness, waiting to be recognised rather than covered over.