Light Breaking Through Storm Over Sea

Light Breaking Through Storm Over Sea is a quiet drama in grey. A heavy ceiling of dark cloud presses down on the ocean, and near the horizon a narrow opening lets through a silver-white glow, lighting a thin strip of water while everything else stays in deep slate and charcoal. This is the moment Tim Burns waits for at Duxbury Point and along the West Marin coast: the fog or storm lifts for an instant and the sun spotlights a patch of ocean. He calls such images daytime dreamscapes, a dance between ocean, fog and light. Here the dance is solemn and powerful, almost monochrome. Part of his Land of A Thousand Birds series, the work rewards stillness. The longer you look, the more tones you find in the greys, from cool blue to warm pewter. Behind acrylic glass the break of light seems to shine. It suits a study, library or calm living room, and works beautifully with black frames, stone and modern interiors.