O Fortuna was presented during Driven at The Kennedy in Houston.

The collector who eventually acquired the work attended the exhibition as a guest of the owner. He spent a long time with the painting, and what followed became one of the longest conversations I've had around a single piece.

We talked about the Requiem series and its first chapter, Dies Irae. We discussed symbolism, meaning, and the place this work held within the larger story. There were questions, negotiations, and moments when it seemed the painting might simply return to the studio with me.

I was comfortable with that possibility. I believed the work would either find the right home that day or continue its own journey.

In the end, the collector decided to take it with him.

Looking back, that feels appropriate for a work called O Fortuna. Fortune rarely asks for certainty. Sometimes it simply asks whether you're willing to trust your decision.