Ugonma George

“There are moments when the world feels loud, heavy with movement, expectations, and the weight of living. And then there are rare moments like this: when everything seems to exhale. This photo was sent to me by a dear friend, taken in Benue State, Nigeria at around 1 a.m. during his housemanship/internship. A rare occurrence, having to experience a full moon, so bright and beautiful. The universe sent me a message through him, I guess. He believed I would love it,  not only as an artist, but as someone who finds stillness and wholeness in nature. He was right. The scene held me. The night stood quietly. The sky carried a warm, glowing moon, and its golden reflection stretched across the water like a whisper of reassurance. It reminded me of childhood evenings sitting under moonlight, listening to stories with my father, those gentle nights where worries did not exist and the world felt safe.

The longer I looked, the more it felt like a place the heart could breathe. Even the trees seemed to stand in reverence. Even the night sky, I imagine, would testify to the honesty of that silence. It was as if time paused kindly, not in emptiness, but in quietude. I painted myself into this moment because, in spirit, I was already there. I wanted to honor that feeling of belonging, of being embraced by stillness, of finding softness in a world that often forgets to rest. Standing in that quiet light, I felt what peace means to me: not the absence of life’s realities, but a gentle calm that holds them without fear. A reminder that, somewhere between breath and sky, there is a place where the soul can simply be. This painting is my offering to that feeling, a visual memory of serenity, warmth, and home.”

Ugonma George is a Nigerian visual artist whose work is deeply rooted in emotion, nature, memory, and the human experience. A member of the Female Artists Association of Nigeria (FEAAN) and a Global Arts in Medicine Fellow (GAIMF), her practice reflects a commitment to healing, storytelling, and connection through art. Her works have been exhibited nationally, including with the Life in My City Art Festival (LIMCAF), and continue to explore themes of peace, strength, identity, and the quiet beauty found within stillness and reflection.

“When All Is Calm”, oil on textured plywood, textured with broomsticks (80×60cm)

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