SHADES OF DAWN is a collection of paintings borne out of moments of silence and solitude. To experience the work is to take in the quiet of early mornings, before the day begins, before the city awakes. It is a call to quiet ourselves, set aside our ever present roles and duties, and to make space for moments of silence and solitude to bring restoration and strength to our fractured and overstretched selves.The collection of soft, neutral tones and hues are reflective of the early morning slivers of light and the calm and quiet sense of taking in the day slowly. In solitude, we rest. But in solitude, we also awaken to ourselves, our innermost identity and the purest thoughts within us untouched by our environment yet. In silence, we can hear ourselves breathe, we can simply be, without any distraction. In silence, we can connect with our deeper desires and our own strength without the influence of outside voices and opinions.The gentle yet free flowing nature of marks and colours in this collection are reflective of that dreamy wandering state of our minds as we bring ourselves into silence and solitude. It is often a hazy, almost out of body experience as we form one thought that leads to the next and the next. However, the calm and the quiet - in us and surrounding us - eventually brings everything into focus, allowing us to hear our own thoughts and to experience a rare sense of being fully present in our surroundings.As we enter this silence and solitude, we develop a stronger and deeper sense of self apart from outside voices of media as well as the opinions of others. We experience restoration and even empowerment by creating this intentional and uninterrupted space for ourselves.