Avalene • 11 • Limerick

8-11 Category   •  2026
During Covid, when everything felt strange and the world seemed to change overnight, I spent a lot of time in the forest near my house. It became my safe place. The trees didn’t rush, the air felt calm, and the sounds were soft and steady. Being there helped me feel grounded when everything else felt uncertain. I wanted my artwork to show how nature helped me through that time, and how it still helps me whenever life feels overwhelming. The eye in the centre of my painting represents how I see the world, but inside the eye I painted Earth. This shows that when things get too much, I focus on nature to feel peaceful again. The mountains, trees, and the deer are all reminders of the quiet moments I had in the forest. They stand for strength, stillness, and the feeling of being surrounded by something bigger and calmer than myself. The small cabin is a symbol of safety, a place where nothing can disturb me. Below the eye, I painted water with fish and plants to show the deeper parts of nature that we don’t always notice. Water has always made me feel calm, so I wanted it to flow from the eye like a connection between my emotions and the natural world. It represents the quiet, hidden places inside us that nature helps soothe. This artwork is about finding peace when the world feels too loud or too heavy. It’s about remembering that nature is always there, steady and patient, ready to help us breathe and slow down. When I look at this painting, I think of the forest paths I walked during Covid, the sound of leaves under my feet, and the feeling of being held by the world around me. I hope that when other people see it, they feel a little bit of that calm too.