Description
Non-Representational Abstract Painting ~ Peace Begins Within
Peace Begins Within is a 14×11″ non-representational abstract painting on canvas panel created during my Artist in Residency program at The Art Center in Dover, NH.
This painting belongs within the residency body of work Attending To Light. Throughout the residency, I explored light as something interior ~ something that emerges from within rather than simply reflecting from the outside.
Because of this approach, the paintings developed through intuition, layering, and response. Color, mark-making, and surface texture slowly revealed the presence of light.
Peace Begins Within reflects a moment when quiet strength begins to gather. The painting suggests a soft place that forms within us, even when the world around us feels uncertain.
Non-Representational Abstract Painting Exploring Inner Light
In this non-representational abstract painting, the composition is centered yet dynamic. The visual mass sits near the middle of the panel. However, the structure does not feel symmetrical or predictable.
The weight leans slightly to the left while the strongest directional movement arcs upward and toward the right. At the same time, a vertical passage pulls gently downward into the blue field below.
Because of this balance, the composition develops a subtle triangular energy that feels contained, but never frozen.
Light appears to emerge from within the density of marks rather than resting on top of the surface. Dark passages, soft neutrals, and luminous blues gather together to form a central field where brightness begins to appear, which allows the painting to hold both quiet mystery and clarity at the same time.
Movement and Structure in a Non-Representational Abstract Painting
A subtle vertical pull guides the movement and structure.
The upper haze suggests ascension or release and the lower diffusion suggests grounding or settling.
Because of this relationship, the painting moves in three directions at once.
Upward ~ awakening
Downward ~ rooting
Inward ~ centering
This tri-directional movement gives the work its quiet power.
The softened outer edges prevent the viewer’s eye from escaping too quickly. Instead, the eye returns inward again and again, allowing the central light to slowly reveal itself.
Although the composition appears effortless, the painting is carefully balanced through tonal values, directional marks, and layered color.
As a result, the painting holds both softness and strength.
It invites stillness while quietly affirming that peace begins within.
Exhibition
The Art Center in the Artist In Residency group exhibition from March 9 – April 30, 2026
Painting Details
Title: Peace Begins Within
Series: Attending To Light
Medium: Acrylic mixed media on canvas panel
Size: 14 x 11 inches
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