Resting With The Serpent

In Resting with the Serpent, I explore what Carl Jung described as the shadow; the parts of ourselves we are taught to repress, deny, or fear. While painting this, I kept returning to the idea that what we push into the unconscious does not disappear; it waits, shaping us quietly from beneath the surface.

The serpent in this work is not a threat, but a presence. It represents instinct, desire, and truth; the aspects of the self that exist beyond social acceptance. Rather than resisting it, the figure rests beside it. There is no struggle here. It is a quiet surrender, an acknowledgment and a contemplation.

I was drawn to paint this moment of stillness because I believe there is a strange kind of peace in confronting what we have been taught to hide. The muted palette and soft light echo that inward space; intimate, heavy, and contemplative, while the roses become an anchor of femininity; soft yet powerful, delicate yet enduring, held close to the body as a reminder of inner strength.

This painting is not about overcoming the shadow, but about sitting with it. For me, it is a reflection of myself on what it means to accept the fullness of who I am; even the parts I am most afraid to face.

Resting with the Serpent is an invitation into introspection: a meditation on the hidden layers of the self, and the quiet courage it takes to face them.

Original 2026 oil painting by Adeela Omar

32" x 40" canvas

Sold unframed