Falling into Winter
By C.J. Lori | January 26, 2021
For many weeks, it was a glorious fall in Greater Boston. Knowing this time was fleeting, I tried to capture it in this painting. The leaves were changing color and falling, the number of Covid cases was falling, and the Trump administration was falling. Hope was in the air.
C.J. Lori, Autumn Passing, oil on canvas, 22″ x 28″ 2020
C.J. Lori. Detail of Autumn Passing
We continued our weekday walks through our neighborhood and our weekend hikes in wooded parks and reservations. I entered my paintings in shows further away, partly to discover new places to explore when dropping them off.
Gradually, it got colder and grayer. The leaves were gone, the case numbers were rising, and Trump wasn’t leaving without a fight. As 2021 began, we saw his deluded followers storm the Capitol. Life seemed pretty bleak. The amount of suffering and death from the pandemic was nearly incomprehensible. Our failure in response created a palpable, teeth-clenching rage within me.
Now our cherished walks are getting shorter as winter settles in. It is harder to find the beauty and inspiration in nature though I know it is always there. I reach out and grasp the promises of a new administration, vaccines, and a spring that must eventually come. Watching, waiting, and forever hopeful.
C.J. Lori is an oil painter living in Brookline, Massachusetts. Her work reflects her interest in literature, anthropology and psychology, as well as an abiding fascination with the natural world. She has exhibited in solo and group shows throughout New England, and in New York and Chicago, including the Danforth Museum in OFF THE WALL, and Figure, Fantasy and Illusion, Selections from the Arthur S. Goldberg Collection. She won first prize in Paint!, a national exhibition at the South Shore Arts Center. Ms. Lori is represented by 13 Forest Gallery in Arlington, Massachusetts and Array Contemporary in Boston.
I love seeing your paintings and reading your posts which are uplifting. I share your sentiments about Trump and his followers. I’m glad that he’s gone and pray that he never gets re-elected. Hopefully we’ll all get vaccinated and will feel safe.
I am glad you find my work uplifting. Your comment has the same effect on me!
C.J., this painting is a wonderful glimpse of transition. Nicely done.
Thank you Paul. I appreciate the encouragement!
The promise of Spring, such a breath of fresh air. As always, your work gets right to the heart of things.
Thanks so much, Ellen, it is great to hear that you feel that way. I think we all need some validation these days when it feel like we are often lost in the weeds.