Light in the Darkness: Fiery-billed Aracaris

2021 
22.5 x 33.5in 
acrylic on masonite

There is a quality of light in Central American countries that is unique to their geographical location. Being situated on the equator, the sun sits directly overhead, and consequently pierces even the most seemingly impenetrable canopies with dramatic shafts of light, like the most wondrous wild cathedral.

The sunlight there creates dramatic scenes of light and shadow, the leaves seen from below glow yellow-green, contrasting sharply with the overall gloom of the forest floor. This, for me, was the dominant theme of this painting, of light triumphing over darkness, depicted not only in the patches of vegetation being lit up by the sunlight, but also in the visual contrast of the birds themselves. Fiery-billed Aracaris are mostly black bodied, contrasted by an incongruously colorful beak.

I decide to do this painting as a means to creatively escape to a tropical paradise, after being unable to travel for two years, to the places on Earth that truly engage and fill my senses, the wild places. For the month that I worked on it, I was able, at least briefly, to mitigate the trauma and anxiety of the pandemic that has gripped us all, by creating a world where the light shines through and triumphs over darkness, hope over despair, using the incredible biodiversity of the Osa Peninsula as the backdrop.

This painting is another reminder to me of an unbroken chain of examples, of how I have used the escape from, or attempted resolution of trauma and anxiety as a crucible for creativity my entire life.