Description
Dreaming To Fly is an original 14×11″ mixed media abstract painting created during my Artist in Residency program at The Art Center in Dover, New Hampshire.
This work belongs to the residency body of work Attending To Light. During the residency, I explored light as something interior ~ something that glows within rather than something that simply reflects. The paintings developed through intuition, layering, and response.
Because of this process, each painting reveals light slowly through color, mark-making, and space.
Dreaming To Fly suggests a moment of lift. Forms gather near the center and begin to rise through the surface. Soft lavender and rose tones create an atmosphere of openness. Meanwhile, fresh greens and deeper passages of color provide grounding.
As a result, the painting holds both stability and upward motion.
Mixed Media Abstract Painting Expressing Movement
In this mixed media abstract painting, small marks and patterns create a quiet structure beneath the surface. Repeated shapes form rhythm across the composition. At the same time, looser gestures of paint move freely.
Because of this balance, the painting feels both spontaneous and carefully resolved.
Layered color builds depth while delicate linear marks move across the surface like sparks of light. These passages allow the eye to travel slowly across the painting, discovering subtle shifts in color and texture.
Therefore, the work feels animated without becoming crowded.
Mixed Media Abstract Painting Created During the Residency
Dreaming To Fly was created during a period of intentional focused studio work. Like all of the non-representational abstracts within the series, this was inspired by its companion bouquet painting as a way to capture the source of light found within the bouquets.
Throughout the series, abstraction became a way to explore inner light and emotional atmosphere. Deeper tones provide places of rest. Meanwhile, brighter colors emerge like moments of discovery.
This painting reflects that process. It holds both contemplation and movement, suggesting the quiet sensation of rising into possibility.
Details of Dreaming To Fly
Title: Dreaming To Fly
Series: Residency, Attending To Light
Medium: Acrylic mixed media
Substrate: Canvas panel
Size: 14 × 11 inches
Exhibition
The Art Center in the Artist in Residency Exhibition from March 9 – April 30, 2026
