Messenger at Dawn, Above Blue Mountains

I am strongly affected by the the turn of the seasons in a personal way and sometimes refer to these changes in dramatic terms–in fall and winter I feel like I am small, curling into myself like a tiny hibernating creature, nearly dead. It can be a safe, cozy feeling but it can also be depressing. In spring I feel like I am coming back to life, emerging like a sprout from a buried seed, reaching toward the sun.

Tomorrow is the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. This means that after tomorrow, every day until next summer solstice, there will be just a little more sunlight each day. We just walked up a steep hill of darkness, are standing at the pinnacle, and can pause and celebrate the fact that it’s all downhill, into the light, from here.

Here are my 2 latest creations, which were made with these feelings in mind. These are unique because they are both made up of multiple panels–separate gallery-wrapped canvases that fit together to form one image.

The first painting shows a hawk soaring at an incredible elevation, looking down on a beautiful expanse of misty blue.

Above Blue Mountains
Acrylic on Canvas
36″ x 24″ (3 12″ x 24″ panels)

The second painting shows a large white dove against a backdrop of purple mountains at daybreak. She is mysteriously out of place in this landscape, which is purposeful because I want her to be an obvious messenger or omen. White doves are a universal symbol of hope and peace.

Messenger at Dawn
Acrylic on Canvas
20″ x 50″ (5 20″ x 10″ panels)

Detail:

Detail: