Moments of Stillness and Motion

In these recent paintings, I explore the quiet poetry of birds—their moments of flight and stillness, the subtle gestures that reveal both grace and awareness. Living and working in rural Vermont, I encounter them daily: crows circling overhead, songbirds darting across the meadows, quick movements glimpsed through the rhythm of trees. What draws me to them is not simply their form, but the presence they embody—the space they occupy between motion and calm, between appearance and disappearance.

The paintings develop from observation but evolve toward abstraction. I begin with suggestion rather than description, allowing form to emerge through a process of layering, scraping, dissolving, and repainting. Each mark is a response to the surface—an exploration of texture, rhythm, and balance. Oil paint and pastel intermingle; edges blur and reappear. The image develops gradually, as if remembered rather than rendered, revealing the quiet structure that exists beneath gesture.

This ongoing series reflects my continuing interest in the intersection of nature and form. The birds, whether at rest or in flight, become symbols of equilibrium—at once fragile and enduring, ordinary yet transcendent. Their presence is not literal but felt, suspended within fields of subtle color and texture that evoke weathered surfaces and ancient walls. Through restraint and reduction, I search for that delicate point where stillness and movement coexist.

Ultimately, these works are meditations on perception and time. They invite the viewer into a space of quiet attention, where surface becomes atmosphere and the trace of a brushstroke suggests something living, fleeting, and eternal. In the simplicity of a few lines, a muted palette, and a single pause of motion, I hope to convey the enduring beauty of balance—the stillness that exists within all movement.