This piece was originally created to illustrate the effects of SAD or Seasonally Affective Disorder, a condition that causes depression and fatigue due to the lack of sunlight during the winter season. This is the third incarnation of this composition.
I took the look and composition of the first painting and created an introspective, symbolic self portrait. I am sitting in the middle of an unfinished house, the exposed beams and rafters open to the winter tempest outside. I sit frozen in place, unable to move, unable to break free of the oppresive atmosphere surrounding me. Then, through one of the windows, a ray of sunlight shines on my face and my eyes slowly open and turn to look in its direction. A glimmer of salvation? Another chance at redemption? It surprises me how many people have reacted to this piece. Perhaps they see something of their own lives in it or are attracted to the universal appeal of hope in a dark and uncertain world.