Glow of the Singing Spirits, series of three cradled panels by Kathleen O’Brien

My new series, “Glow of the Singing Spirits”, unfolds like a whispered passage between worlds. Three panels trace the gentle pulse of nature—the calm of a country road bathed in fading light, a meadow alive with the soft chorus of a lone bird, and two birds locked in an intimate exchange framed by an otherworldly, blue glow. Each scene carries the subtle energy of unseen voices, a quiet celebration of the songs drawn here by the land itself. This work is less about what is seen and more about what lingers just beyond sight, a faint radiance that invites reflection on presence, connection, and the luminous spirit woven through the natural world.

This series emerged from my Breeze and Birdsong collection of graphite bird drawings from 2023 that noted the song signature captured on the Merlin app. All twelve birds are ones we see and hear often on the farm. At that time I had no idea how to present them, they stayed in their storage box. The idea to transfer them onto acrylic paintings from prints of them was a challenge I accepted. It is a marriage of two ways of creating that I love; detailed rendering and loose and free painting. I developed the palette of three colors in my daily art practice journal.

Daily Art Practice journal pages, 8.17.26

Call of the Silent Road marks the beginning of a new journey—one where stillness holds its own kind of sound. A narrow path stretches forward, framed by trees that seem to breathe with quiet purpose, their shadows shifting between light and a deeper mystery. Above, the sky hints at dawn or dusk—moments on the edge of change—while a spectral bird stands silent witness, calling without voice. This piece grew from the song of a mockingbird along Salt River Road, a quiet presence that stirred something unseen. It’s the first of the “Glow of the Singing Spirits” series, where the visible and the ethereal converge to reveal the soft echoes beneath the world’s surface.

“Call of the Silent Road”, first in the Glow of the Singing Spirits, series, acrylic painting on cradled panel by Kathleen O’Brien

Mockingbird Song, graphite drawing by Kathleen O’Brien

Dawn’s Quiet Melody emerged from the soft murmur of a Carolina Wren’s morning song, a fleeting moment caught between night’s retreat and day’s arrival. The colors breathe with quiet mystery—the sky shifting from blushing pink to a serene blue, as if the horizon holds its breath. The bird, poised mid-song, becomes both witness and voice within a scene where light and shadow weave in deliberate stillness. This piece carries the subtle resonance of that suspended threshold, inviting a closer listen to what lingers just beyond sight—an invitation to dwell in the delicate balance of quiet transformation.

“Dawn’s Quiet Melody”, second in the Glow of the Singing Spirits, series, acrylic painting on cradled panel by Kathleen O’Brien

Carolina Wren Song, graphite drawing by Kathleen O’Brien

Echoes of a Tender Talk reveals a subtle exchange—two gold finches caught in the quiet space between words and meaning. Against a glowing cone of light, their forms are softened, suspended within an atmosphere where color and shadow blend into something just beyond comprehension. The surrounding hues pulse with life yet keep their secrets, suggesting a dense thicket that both shelters and isolates this intimate moment.

“Echoes of a Tender Talk”, third in the Glow of the Singing Spirits, series, acrylic painting on cradled panel by Kathleen O’Brien

Goldfinch Song, graphite drawing by Kathleen O’Brien