Day 19: A Way Out of No Way — A Daily Bird Painting in Acrylic
For today’s painting, I chose a lesser-known quote from Martin Luther King, Jr., and, rather than illustrating his words directly, I approached the painting as a response—allowing color, movement, and texture to carry the emotional weight of the quote. I was especially moved by “low hovering clouds of despair,” which I think you can see in the painting.
I’m still working with acrylics several days into this daily painting practice, and still using paint the way I have for over a decade: as a way to process complex emotional terrain. This small raven painting became a place to hold tension and hope at the same time—gesture pushing forward, color breaking through.
Birds often appear in my work when I’m thinking about endurance, freedom, spirit, and forward motion (so all the time). In this piece, the raven form feels less literal and more symbolic—a presence moving through uncertainty rather than above it.
I hope you find these words as moving as I do:
“When our days become dreary with low-hovering clouds of despair, and when our nights become darker than a thousand midnights, let us remember that there is a creative force in this universe, working to pull down the gigantic mountains of evil, a power that is able to make a way out of no way and transform dark yesterdays into bright tomorrows.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
Denise Hopkins
January 19, 2026
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