SEPTEMBER 2023
NORTH GALLERY
Season of Change | Sami Ali
I paint outdoors from life almost every day, and doing so I have witnessed the seasons changing, from the marsh grass growing back in the spring, to the cattails shedding their feathery seeds in the winter, to the bend of a thick branch under the snow load. These paintings reflect the beautiful changes I have witnessed around me, each piece painted on site. However, while this show is outwardly called “Season of Change," inwardly I also had a season of change.
I turned 50 in 2022, entering the autumn of my life. Suddenly while painting from a spot on a marsh, I felt wholly connected to autumn and begrudged winter. And what a long winter we had, with relentless snow and dark days. The decaying leaves, the broken branches, the migrating birds, all of them suddenly speaking to me in a different way than I had ever heard before. Winter is on the horizon.
Part One: Stand Still
This series of 15 landscapes was painted from the same vantage point over a period of 13 months. The paintings aren't meant to be maps of the landscape but rather an expression of the constant evolution of change around us. While we go about our daily lives, so do the birds, the trees, and even the water. If we ever stood still, this might be what we would observe.
Part Two: Autumn
These paintings of Potters Marsh in autumn comfort me as I enter the autumn of my own life.
Part Three: In Everything
Everything has a season of change. And for many living things, there is a final season.
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