This is a detail of a larger painting I am currently working on. It’s been a struggle. I used to paint birds years ago, and then turned away from them. I’m not sure why, maybe because I became more interested in exploring beyond the subject of the painting. I had more I wanted to say about painting than merely depicting a subject, which seemed a bit shallow to me. I had deeper waters to explore.

So I took a detour, a path around the subject and focused on creating a sense of place, movement and light, the intangible aspects of painting. It continues to this day.

And now I am back again, with a bird, because I haven’t finished what I started to say about them. Such ethereal creatures they are to me, here now then gone in a heartbeat. I am on the cusp of a certain quality I have been searching for and it’s exhilarating, liberating and paradoxically filling me with apprehension. It’s like painting while holding my breath, reaching for something through the fog, something only felt, unseen and just out of reach.

Reaching before it flies away.

Egg Tempera on Panel, 20 in. x 16 in.

Years ago, I drew and painted birds, portraits of birds, to understand how they moved, first still, then flying.  Then I moved on to painting the environment surrounding them to understand how they lived.

The landscape expanded and I became mesmerized by the changing colors of light. The idea of birds got smaller as the idea of light got larger.

I  fell in love with the light.

Gradually the birds became very small and eventually flew out of my paintings all together. My paintings became all about the light.

They still are.

Lately, I have been sketching birds again by the sea, and in the mountains, and I think I have not finished saying all I want to say about birds.

And the way light falls on them.

]]> http://www.danielambrose.com/blog/2010/01/light-falling-on-birds/feed/ 0 http://www.danielambrose.com/blog/2009/12/faith-and-promise/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=faith-and-promise http://www.danielambrose.com/blog/2009/12/faith-and-promise/#comments Thu, 24 Dec 2009 21:37:14 +0000 Daniel http://www.danielambrose.com/blog/?p=2240

I photographed this scene on the way to my studio this morning. It symbolizes for me ideas of Faith and Promise. Faith that no matter how discordant the night, there will always be a harmonious sunrise, and the promise that God will always be there for me.

I know you are feeling challenged and pressured to adapt and survive, as the world shifts and sorts itself out, and your faith in people and things may be shaken from unrealized promises.

Stop waiting on the world to work and start working on the world.

Promise to keep breathing my friend, have faith in something, do meaningful work, be kind to the one beside you, extend a hand to someone who needs one, take a moment to look around and marvel in the mundane, a miracle is there, it is happening now. Be somebody to someone.

Being an artist is not always an easy thing to be, but it is what I must be. My work is about celebrating the beauty of light, and focusing on that, is where I choose to live. It’s not really a choice though, is it? More like a calling or compulsion of some sort.

One of my favorite passages that struck a deep chord within me the first time I read it, is from Robert Frost, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening:

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Daylight is burning and I have miles to go, and amends to make.

I appreciate you.

Peace and Blessings,

Merry Christmas
Daniel

I yearn for the ideal. For the painting that perfectly expresses my thoughts, feelings and associations for a given subject. Each painting constitutes my efforts to achieve this goal. Like Lao Tzu’s traveler, each painting is a step closer to my personal thousand mile journey, my destination. Each painting represents hope.

Many of us take the path of least resistance in life. Don’t make waves, do as your told and everything thing will be okay. When we are young we’re often told anything is possible, reach for the moon child. As we grow older we learn the shifting tides of living erode the shores of our existence. Sometimes our boat just didn’t float the way we planned. We come to the end of our route, a little frayed around the edges.

But we have choices.

We can chart a new course, turn in a different direction, become part of a new universe of people and possibilities. Try new things, learn a new skill, reach out of our comfort zone, come out in to the light, life is full of inspirational encounters. Look around and you will see, you tried one way now try another. You are not a failure just because the thing you tried failed. You gave it your best and just discovered that it didn’t work for you, so keep trying keep taking that step to being you, reaching for your ideal.

Keep reaching for the moon.