Ricardo Romero Cortez Duque

Where the Sound Remembers Its First Light / Acrylic + Canvas / 24×36×2

This painting tells the story of a place shaped by tides, time, and quiet mornings. The water of Puget Sound stretches outward in restful bands of blue and gray, reflecting light that feels neither new nor fading — but perfectly present. Subtle shifts in tone suggest waves that have traveled far yet carry no hurry, rolling gently as if remembering every sunrise they’ve seen.

Above, the sky opens wide in soft, layered color — a mixture of cool dawn and lingering dusk — blending with the water’s slow rhythm. There are no sharp edges here, only transitions: light to dark, water to sky, quiet to reflection. Distant land dimly appears on the horizon, offering a reminder that even in vastness, there is a place to return.

Where the Sound Remembers Its First Light is a story about belonging and stillness. It captures the feeling of standing at the water’s edge before the day fully begins — a moment when the world seems to hold its breath, and time feels both infinite and intimate. The painting invites the viewer into that space where memory and presence merge, and where the landscape feels like something you’ve known all along.