We all know what it is like to wait.  Wait to grow up.  Wait in line for coffee.  Wait on hold for customer service.  Wait for a new life to come into the world.  Sometimes it seems that life is a series of transitioning from one type of waiting to another.  Toronto artist Shaun Downey captures fleeting occasions of expectancy in his subtly emotional scenes.

Kelly and the Red Dots, painting on canvas, 65x42

How many of us have consoled ourselves with the monotony of the every day while we long for the arrival of what we have been waiting for?  Even when we have no idea what or who it may be.

Last Glance, painting on canvas, 32x48

How do we console ourselves when it seems our waiting is in vain?  We wait and wait and wait, but the door never opens.

The Tooth Fairy, painting on canvas, 65x42

Perhaps we are too distracted when our awaited arrives to even notice and before we know it, the opportunity is gone.  Or maybe it remains and is just watching for us to awake to its presence.  And sometimes, once the waiting is over, the transition is bittersweet.  Because who knows what is around the corner?  More waiting, perhaps more wonderful.

The Old Apartment, painting on canvas, 18x24

Packing Up, painting on canvas, 48x48

To see more of Shaun Downey’s work, please visit his website.  I’m waiting for spring to finally arrive here in North Idaho.  What are you waiting for today?

Featured image is Packing Up, 48×48.  All images are via the artist’s website.  Found via artist Brad Kunkle.