"31 years old"
"31 years old" by PQHAÜS
(Acrylic on canvas / 24x30 inches / 2024
There will be a moment when you realize you're 31, though just yesterday you were
21. You won't be able to understand how a decade slipped by and your life became a series of befores and afters. Youth will gradually fade, and while nothing may truly change, everything will seem different when you look back at old photographs you took.
Hanging out with your best friends slowly turns into a rare reunion as they drift away to follow their own paths in life. You remember their faces, but the sense that they have faded from your life makes you wonder if you have become a stranger to them.
This painting was intended to capture a sense of grief driven by the loss of youth and how time persistently makes our experiences as humans both fascinating and profoundly sad. The painting also serves as a reminder to pause and enjoy your current life. With the time you have and the youth still in your heart, I hope you take a few minutes to go out in the sun and just live a little, because tomorrow you will be 41, and then 51. Each passing year feels like a silent farewell to the innocence of youth, leaving behind a trail of bittersweet longing for the days when life seemed simpler. So, live a little today while you are still young.
Reading about turning 31 hit close to home for me. I remember the exact moment last year when I realized I’d officially left my twenties behind. I was scrolling through old photos from my college days, laughing at the carefree nights and spontaneous road trips, then I paused at a picture of me on a hiking trail, exhausted but exhilarated https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/10/business/10poker.html?_r=3 That image reminded me how much I’ve changed—my priorities shifted from endless parties to building a career I’m proud of and nurturing deeper friendships. I also recalled the first time I bought a small apartment on my own; the excitement of signing the lease felt like a rite of passage, and now at 31, I’m finally paying off the…