First Light is a continuation of The Awakening. It further depicts the awakening taking place and is symbolic of the power one has within themselves. The light occurring in the nebula in the headspace is symbolic of illumination as that's where the awakening is starting to take place. In this painting the tiger is symbolic of the power within coming forward and more present than what it once was. As with The Awakening, I chose to leave white surrounding the painted part symbolizing the empty space before being awakened. 

Whenever I paint, I listen to music that is all across the board and do not have one set or preferred genre. When working on this I kept being drawn to listen to the album Empires, by the artist VNV Nation.  I named this painting First Light because the lyrics of the final song on the album,  Arclight,  really struck me and I felt it tied in with this painting. Please note the song did not inspire this painting, but I definitely felt inspired while painting. For those not familiar with the band, the lyrics are as follows:

At first light lay proud foundations
Sense the greatness that before you unfolds
Seek no more for hollow answers
Answers that lay within you all along

Farewell to dawns seen through saddened eyes
Farewell to pasts to sorrows chained
Forget your fears and want no more
You will be strong and want no more

You'll be adored, you will have everything
You will be strong and want no more
Forget your fears, you will have everything
And want no more

The original painting is 18" x 24" oil on board.

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