The Dropped Call began with a Prince story I encountered in the work of Troy Gua while visiting the People's Museum in June 2026. Among the many stories about Prince, one stood out to me more than the legend itself: the story of a young man trying to find his way home and being turned away. What interested me was not fame, success, or the icon Prince would later become. It was the loneliness of that moment. The feeling of reaching for connection and finding distance instead. The phone booth became a symbol of that experience. The skeleton represents the universal parts of ourselves that seek belonging, understanding, and a place to return to. The surrounding forest reflects isolation, memory, and the emotional landscapes we travel through when searching for connection. While inspired by Prince's story, this painting ultimately became a reflection on a broader human experience: the reality that even those who appear larger than life can carry loneliness, rejection, and longing. Sometimes the moments that shape us most happen long before the world knows our name.
