Justin applies the thin layers of paint in washes of color over the canvas. The translucent quality and the way the light plays with each layer gives it an appearance of wetness, of rain.

He's lost in his process until he realizes all of the fantastic autumn daylight has vanished, and pauses only to flip on the overhead lights.

This painting is just one in a series that captures an emotion from different points in his life. The first three he did were part of a themed group show he was in with the collective he joined five months after moving to New York. The brief for the show was to capture a single emotion on canvas. This proved to be a very difficult task for Justin because his emotions were as multi-layered as the paint on his canvases. So after exhibiting the less than successful paintings (at least to him) he carried on with the 'emotions' theme in order to find some personal redemption.

The current one in progress is, on the surface, about sadness. However, with the intricacies of the layers and the way the light is able to play, hope is present as well. This is most evident in the light wash of red that ghosts across the canvas. The effect was difficult for Justin to get just right because of the tendency of red to go unintentionally pink, but now, standing back and taking it all in, he's quite happy with the results.

The more he stares at the painting, his eyes dancing across the surface, the memories of his earlier years on Liberty Avenue rush back.

Everyday had been a series of ups and downs, never knowing when his life could be pulled out from under him. But still there had been the bright shining hope of immediate unconditional support from Debbie. And for that, he would always be eternally grateful.