This series explores moments of quiet power and awareness found in the animal world. Rather than depicting action alone, these paintings focus on presence — the stillness, strength, and instinct that exist beneath the surface.
The Animals & Presence series explores qualities we recognize in ourselves—quiet courage, resilience, curiosity, patience, and hope—through atmospheric portrayals of wildlife. These are not simply paintings of animals, but reflections of the human experience seen through nature.
Created in David Christenson’s atmospheric style, these paintings celebrate inner strength, confidence, transformation, and the silent power found in nature.
Works such as Beneath the Water Swimming Tiger, Silent Resolve Black Panther, and Morning Vigil Red Fox invite the viewer into encounters where movement slows and attention sharpens. Each animal is portrayed not as a symbol, but as a living presence, grounded in its environment and fully inhabiting the moment.
Through layered materials and deliberate restraint, the paintings emphasize form, gaze, and posture — allowing meaning to emerge without narrative explanation. The result is a series that reflects on instinct, balance, and the quiet intensity of being fully present.
This series continues to evolve as new studies of animal presence are explored.