This Piece Almost Didn't Happen......

✨ Introduction

Some artworks arrive all at once.

Others wait.

This one waited.

I began Keeper of My Shadows nearly three weeks ago. I wasn’t sure where it was going, only that it felt quiet, watchful, and feminine. But just as I started to build it, life interrupted. My back seized, and I found myself unable to sit at my desk or focus through the fog of medication. The creative rhythm stopped completely, and honestly, so did I.

But my Maine Coons never left my side.

In stillness, in pain, they stayed.

They didn’t ask. They didn’t move.

They just remained soft, steady presences beside me.

And it was during that silence, as I began to heal, that I realized this artwork had always known where it wanted to go.

It was never just a portrait.

It was a tribute.

Final Artwork: Keeper Of My Shadows the final piece, built layer by layer in stillness and presence.

✍ Process & Purpose

As my strength returned, I slowly came back to the canvas. Every layer was intentional, soft dodging and burning, texture overlays, careful color shifts

all guided not by a vision, but by feeling.

This piece became both a reflection of that quiet healing and a love letter to the creatures who waited through it with me.

🖥️ Behind the Layers

A glimpse into my Photoshop workspace — where healing becomes visible in the details. This wasn’t about filters or automation.

It was about time.

About letting the piece unfold like a conversation.

About trusting the art to reveal what I couldn’t yet put into words.

🖨️ The Print

Keeper of My Shadows is available as a limited edition Diasec® print — a museum-grade process that seals the artwork beneath polished acrylic for stunning clarity and archival permanence.

Each edition is:

• Signed and numbered

• Produced in a strictly limited run

• Presented with exceptional clarity and depth

👉 View and order exclusive prints at:

robzartworx.com

Closing Reflection

Art meets us where we are, even when we can’t quite reach for it.

This piece waited for me. Like they always do.

And I’m so grateful I got to meet it again on the other side of pain.

To my Shadow Keepers —

this one is for you.

Parting words:

If this spoke to you (or you just enjoyed the read), drop a like, comment, or rating.

You got this. Always. 🖤