This is a painting by Riya who was abused by her father. At age four Riya’s mother tried to intervene so her father killed her mother in front of her to teach Riya a lesson. As a result, Riya arrived at Paint Our World scarred by the trauma and regularly self-harming due to the shame and guilt her father had made her feel. She would run to the corner of the room and hit herself if she perceived an imperfection in her painting. Riya loved nature so we tried to incorporate this into the workshops and teach her that the beauty of nature lies in its imperfections. Through these workshops Riya has experienced healing and has not self-harmed in two years.