Sitting in the morning Sun (2021) Original Oil Painting by Mark Armstrong

Borrowing its title from the opening line of Otis Redding’s (Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay, this painting reflects on those rare moments when time seems to stand still. Rather than illustrating the song, it captures its emotional landscape—a quiet pause between what has been left behind and what is yet to come.

The solitary figure sits cross-legged, eyes closed, withdrawn into an interior world. His posture suggests neither defeat nor contentment, but acceptance. Suspended against broad fields of warm ochre and burning orange, he appears untethered from place and time, as though existing within memory rather than landscape. The simplified background removes all narrative context, allowing the viewer to focus on the weight of silence itself.

Expressive, painterly brushwork gives the portrait an immediacy that contrasts with its contemplative mood. Warm and cool tones collide across the face and clothing, hinting at the emotional complexity beneath an outward stillness. There is a quiet dignity in simply sitting, waiting, reflecting—resisting the pressure to move before one is ready.

Like Redding’s song, Sitting in the Morning Sun speaks to longing, uncertainty, and the search for peace in an unsettled world. It is a portrait of stillness as strength, suggesting that sometimes the most profound journeys are the ones that take place without ever leaving the spot where we sit.

Materials used:

Oil paint on paper

Details:

• Oil painting on Paper
• One of a kind artwork
• Size: 21 x 29.7cm (unframed) / 21 x 29.7cm (actual image size)
• Signed on the front
• Style: Impressionistic
• Subject: People and portraits