Anticipating Dawn— Now at West End Gallery, Corning, NY
We are independent of the change we detect. The longer the lever, the less perceptible its motion. It is the slowest pulsation which is the most vital. The hero then will know how to wait, as well as to make haste. All good abides with him who waiteth wisely; we shall sooner overtake the dawn by remaining here than by hurrying over the hills of the west.
–Henry David Thoreau, A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers
I am a dawn person, always up in the early morning darkness, forever anticipating the coming light. Can’t remember the last time I woke up with full sunshine streaming through the windows. I’ve written a number of times here about this period of time and the giddy but satisfying wait for the day to begin.
Filled with potential for the new. The possibility of some extraordinary occurrence.
Of course, it often seems like the same day, the new day often only separated by mere degrees of difference from the one before. But that’s okay. Because, even in these small degrees, there is always a change taking place., much like the incremental and often imperceptible change that Thoreau mentions above.
I know that in our world where most want instant and complete gratification, that doesn’t sound as appealing to most folks as I find it. But I have learned, bit by bit, to be patient with the day. To take whatever gift it has to offer and to appreciate the subtler points of its sameness.
Even if it is something small and seemingly insignificant, there is always something new to find in the new day. It may not add up to an earth-shattering day but how many of those days can one tolerate, really?
That’s pretty much the feeling that I see in this new 18″ by 24″ painting on canvas that is included in my West End Gallery show, Anticipating Dawn. I see the fields in the middle distance representing that which is regular and seemingly unremarkable. The Red Tree’s perch on the mount suggests to me the patience referred to above. The rising Sun, of course, represent the coming day while the path that runs through the picture is the possibility of arriving at something new.
I could probably go on but let’s just leave it at that for now and try to find the new in today.
For this week’s Sunday Morning Music, here is something that is most likely new to most of you. It’s a song from back in 1972 called Watch the Sunrise from Big Star. They were a group fronted by the late Alex Chilton who had earlier sang lead for the 60’s rock group, The Boxtops. Despite positive reviews of their records at the time, Big Star didn’t have great commercial success. However, they and Alex Chilton had great influence on future bands such as REM, the Replacements, and a number of others.
Enjoy.
Redtree Times 