Peak Solitude— At Principle Gallery Show, June 2023
Solitude, though it may be silent as light, is like light, the mightiest of agencies; for solitude is essential to man. All men come into this world alone and leave it alone.
–Thomas De Quincey, Selected Writings of Thomas De Quincey, 1853
The painting at the top is titled Peak Solitude. This new 30″ by 24″ work on canvas is included in this year’s edition, Passages, of my annual solo exhibit at the Principle Gallery in Alexandria, VA. The show opens two weeks from today with an opening reception on Friday, June 9th. I will attending the opening this year for the first time since 2019.
Solitude, or the pursuit of it, plays a big role in much of my work and this piece fits in well. It’s one of those paintings that has consistently held my eye since it was completed a few weeks back. I find that I am easily pulled into this one with its pacifying rhythms and deep rich tones.
It definitely possesses a sense of quietude for me. I sort of think of it as a reverse Tower of Babel, where in order to escape the din and confusion of the masses gathered below, one has to climb higher and higher. At the peak, there is stillness and clarity, both of vision and thought.
Tranquility.
All that solitude has to offer. And all I ask of my work.
The song below is Corcovado, also known as Quiet Night of Quiet Stars, a bossa nova piece written by Antonio Carlos Jobim in 1960. The original version was from Stan Getz along with bossa nova legends Jobim and Joao and Astrud Gilberto. I don’t know if that anything can come close to that original version with Astrud Gilberto’s vocals but I do enjoy this contemporary performance from the Stringspace Jazz Band.
Redtree Times 