New Oil Painting - Perch and Pause

🎨 Perch and Pause: The Quiet Between the Waves
Oil Painting on 4" x 6" Birch Wood Panel, By Janel Acheson

In the fast current of everyday life, it’s easy to forget the power of stillness. The stillness that doesn’t demand productivity or performance, but instead invites us to just be. My recent oil painting, Perch and Pause, was born from that quiet need.

Painted on a 4x6 birch wood panel, this piece captures two cormorants perched on a weathered branch above calm waters. One bird stretches its wings wide, drying, resting, readying. The other remains still, settled in solitude. Between them, there’s no rush. Just presence.

I was drawn to the simplicity of the scene: a moment that might pass unnoticed in nature, yet speaks so deeply to what it means to be human. There’s wisdom in the way these birds pause. Not to retreat, but to renew. In that pause, there is power.

Why Perch and Pause?
The title came to me not just from what the birds were doing, but from what they were being. They reminded me of those moments we all need. Moments to land, to breathe, to be in our own skin without pressure or expectation.

It’s in these pauses that we re-calibrate. We find honesty. We notice what we’ve been ignoring, and we reconnect to what’s real. Whether you're at a crossroads, in a season of burnout, or simply feeling disconnected, the invitation is the same: perch. pause. listen.

A Reminder in Paint
I chose to let the natural grain of the birch panel show through because I wanted the piece to feel raw and grounded; like the moment itself. No background noise. No clutter. Just enough space to reflect.

Perch and Pause is a small painting, but it holds a big message: Stillness isn't a luxury. It's a necessity. And from that stillness, we move forward with more clarity, more intention, and more of our true, honest selves.

Your Turn
What might happen if you gave yourself permission to pause today?

"Perch and Pause" is available on my website. 
https://www.fineartmontana.com/store/PerchPause.html

Shop Original Art