These four paintings, Winter Sunrise, Daybreak Winter, Solstice and Sultry Light are about one of the simplest and most rewarding transitions—the shift from night to day and from day to night.
For me, the motivation to watch the dawn and the nightfall, is all about the way the color evolves. In each instance there is a moment of peak saturation as the sun creeps away from, or towards the horizon.
The winter paintings were made in December 2021, during the shortest days of the year when every hour of daylight is especially precious. My home in Cushing, Maine faces east along the edge of the Georges Rivers at the top of Muscongus Bay—and is perfect for watching both sun and moonrises.
Solstice and Sultry Light were painted on the west coast in the spring of 2021, during a six-month stay at the peak of the pandemic. Many days ended with hikes along mountain trails that bordered the Pacific Ocean. I could work outside until the darkness or the fog settled on the landscape. Both are twilight paintings—Solstice in particular was made on 21 March—the day winter shifts into spring.
Each painting is, in its own way, about a brief moment in time—before the light flattens out or disappears completely. To quote the painter Grace Hartigan: “In painting I try to make some logic out of the world that has been given to me in chaos. The fact that I am doomed to failure—that doesn’t deter me in the least.” That resonates with me.