Neon sea to me is a state of mind, a reminder to myself to accept the situation around me, not to struggle with it, but use it as a stepping stone to better things.

I concieved the idea at the point where i was closer to death than ever. I could have died at in a beach in Lagos Nigeria while learning to swim with friends. I had moved too far away from the shore, my feet could no longer touch the ground and i was running out of breath. I lost control and could feel myself drowning and nobody was coming to save me. It was the most horrible experience. Then again i realised the fear and struggle wasnt helping, rather it stopped me from thinking straight.

I recalled hearing or reading that things only get worse when you struggle with the water, so i knew i had to be calm. Somehow, the disney movie, Moana, came to mind (i was in love with the way the sea was rendered and the glow it had), so i imagined i was in that sea. This made me more calm, so I stopped struggling, and started to replicate the same series of motion that brought me where i was back in the right direction. In no time, my hands started to touch the sand beneath the water. I stood up and took a deep breath.

I just sat there in the water for some time thinking how lucky i was. None of my friends knew what just happened.

I gave a neon blue glow to the sea in the painting to represent how i made peace with the water around me, and the red tint and highlights symbolize the danger i found myself in.

And yeah, thank you Disney.