Dawn & Timing 2 — Transparent Perception
Foundations Collection
2018
"A study of light, perception, and the subtle boundaries between what we see and what we understand. "
The Question
How much of what we see is actually there?
What changes when we look at something from another perspective?
And how often does what we believe we see depend on the way we choose to look?
About the Work
Everything begins somehow.
A new day begins with the first light.
One cycle ends as another begins.
And somewhere between the two is a moment that exists only briefly—a moment when light, atmosphere, and perception come together.
Dawn & Timing 2 — Transparent Perception continues my exploration of that fleeting relationship between light and time.
But this work also asks another question: what happens when perception itself becomes uncertain?
Light can reveal.
Light can conceal.
It can make something appear solid, distant, transparent, warm, cool, familiar, or unfamiliar.
The same subject can change completely depending on the conditions in which we encounter it.
That is part of what continues to fascinate me about painting.
We often think we are simply recording what we see.
But seeing is never quite that simple.
Our perception is shaped by light, timing, attention, memory, and expectation.
This painting became an exploration of that space between what exists and what we perceive.
Looking Closely
The quality of light
Observe how light establishes the atmosphere and changes the way the subject is perceived.
The transitions between values
Subtle shifts allow forms to emerge without everything being immediately defined.
The relationship between transparency and solidity
Look for areas where the boundaries between objects, light, and atmosphere begin to feel less certain.
The changing perception of the image
From a distance, the painting may appear one way. As you spend more time with it, quieter details begin to reveal themselves.
From the Studio
Every painting teaches me something I wasn’t expecting.
While working on Dawn & Timing 2, I became increasingly interested in the idea that seeing is an active process.
We don’t simply receive the world through our eyes.
We interpret it.
We compare it to what we already know. We fill in what we cannot see. We make assumptions about what is solid, what is distant, what is important, and what can be ignored.
Painting has made me more aware of how easily perception can shift.
A small change in light can alter an entire scene.
A different moment can reveal something that was invisible before.
And sometimes, looking for longer changes the thing we thought we were looking at.
This painting became a reminder to remain curious about what I see—and to question whether my first impression is necessarily the whole truth.
Pause & Reflect
When was the last time looking more carefully changed what you thought you were seeing?
How much of what you see is influenced by what you already expect to find?
What might become visible if you slowed down and allowed yourself to look again?
Within the Collection
Dawn & Timing 2 — Transparent Perception belongs to the Foundations Collection, a body of work representing an important period of experimentation, observation, and artistic development.
Created in 2018, this painting continues the exploration of light and timing begun with Dawn & Timing, while turning the question toward perception itself.
Together, the works reflect my growing fascination with the way light changes not only what we see, but how we see it.
These paintings document an important part of my development as I learned to look beyond simply identifying an object or subject and instead study the subtle relationships between light, atmosphere, time, and perception.
Looking back, this work represents another step in learning that realistic painting is not simply about reproducing appearances—it is about understanding what creates the appearance in the first place.
Studio Notes
2018
Oil on Canvas
14 × 11 in. (35.6 × 27.9 cm)
Availability
Available
$10,000
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Acquisition
Interested in making Dawn & Timing 2 — Transparent Perception part of your collection?
For acquisition inquiries, please contact the studio.