A Meditation in Golden Light

Meditation in Golden Light, 24” x 24”, 2024 Acrylic on Canvas

An Artist's Statement

This painting was, at its heart, an exploration of golden light. My artistic process is often a private, meditative one. I seldom use photo references; instead, I study scenes in the world, absorbing the light and feeling of a place. I then bring to the canvas what my mind can recall, allowing memory and imagination to guide the work. This approach gives me a creative freedom that transcends literal representation. Occasionally, flowers emerge in the painting that cannot be found in the natural world, blending reality with an ethereal quality. My hope is to invite viewers to experience light and color through this uniquely personal lens.

For this piece, the memory I was chasing was not of a real place, but of a real feeling. It is the serene warmth of a perfect sunset held in the amber glow of the sky, a scene conjured entirely from this feeling. The canvas is saturated with these warm tones, creating a tranquil space, while the cool, dark stalks provide a grounding contrast.

Here, as in much of my work, I play with perspective. The imagined flowers push high into the sky, their white blossoms reaching for the last of the light. They tower above us, inviting us to feel small not with fear, but with reverence. This piece is a meditation on the comfort of humility. There is a profound rightness to feeling small when faced with simple, imagined beauty—a reminder that true peace is found when we allow ourselves to be a quiet part of a landscape far greater than ourselves.