There is an old saying that friends are the family we choose. Over the years, I’ve come to believe that friendship is something even broader—an ever-changing collection of people who walk beside us for different stretches of life’s journey. Some friendships last a lifetime. Others exist for only a season. Some begin unexpectedly with strangers who become trusted companions, while others quietly drift apart as life changes. Each leaves its own imprint.

In Amistad — the Spanish word for friendship — the red umbrella represents the friends who enter our lives, while the blue umbrella represents those who eventually move on. Neither is more important than the other. Together they remind us that friendship is not measured only by its duration, but by the shelter it provides when we need it most.

This painting became deeply personal following my cancer diagnosis. Throughout treatment, I find myself surrounded by extraordinary encouragement from family, old friends, new friends, colleagues, and people who reached out with unexpected kindness. Their support does not remove the uncertainty of the journey, but it makes the weight of carrying it lighter.

Like umbrellas in a rainstorm, friends rarely stop life’s storms from coming. Instead, they stand beside us through them, offering comfort, strength, and hope until the skies begin to clear.

While this work was inspired by my own experience, I hope it invites viewers to reflect on the people who have stood beside them through their own seasons of joy, loss, change, and healing—and perhaps inspires them to become that shelter for someone else.