Before the Day Begins

by Arjen Roos

Sometimes happiness lies in a tiny moment. The day has only just begun, the world is slowly waking up, and for a few minutes, there’s absolutely nothing you need to do. A warm mug in your hands, eyes closed, consciously savouring the warmth, the scent and the silence for a moment. Perhaps it contains coffee, perhaps tea. What’s in the mug isn’t really important. For me, it’s about that moment beforehand: before the hustle and bustle begins and the day takes hold of you.

‘Before the Day Begins’ is based on a photograph that, for me, managed to capture exactly that feeling. Starting from that photographic foundation, I gradually distanced the image further and further from reality. Details gave way to simplified forms, geometric planes and a painterly texture. The result is an image that lies somewhere between photography, digital painting and abstraction.

The warm colour scheme plays an important role in this. Shades reminiscent of coffee, caramel, honey and cream are interspersed with deep blue areas and a few bolder accents. The sharp geometric shapes create tension and structure, whilst the face, the closed eyes and the hands clasping the mug radiate calm. I love that contrast. The world around her consists of lines, planes and directions, but amidst all that bustle, she seems to withdraw from it all for just a moment.

A small daily ritual. A few minutes to yourself.

Just a moment of nothing — before the day begins.