This painting is from a photograph I took in the garden during a lazy summer vacation in Italy. I was fascinated by the idea of capturing elements of light, flow and texture in a painting and transforming a simple image of a brown garden snail on the bark of a small tree into something more conspicuous and beautiful. My main priority was to emphasize the changing qualities of light through color tone and the variation of textures and pattern through brushstroke. The intention was to create an overall sense of calmness, harmony, and balance. I emailed an image of the painting to my mother to get some feedback on what emotions the painting evoked, and she told me that it reminded her of an old song she used to sing as a child in Nigeria, called “Eso, Eso” which goes, “The snail climbs a tree with care because it has no arms or legs. It takes its time.” I loved this anecdote and for this reason I decided to name the painting ‘Life in the slow lane’.