The semester is over, and as students yahoo into their summers, I feel a bit wistful.  Transitions are like that.  I turned to current Connecticut exhibits for insights, solace, release, inspiration, and pure joy.  Here’s what I can share with you.

Martin Lewis, Dawn, Sandy Hook, Connecticut, 1933, Florence Griswold Museum

Martin Lewis, one of my favorite under-known artists, marks that transition from day to night, the walk from the commuter train and New York City into suburban Connecticut.  It’s cheerless and lonely, but the sky promises something fresh and new.  I see that commuter taking off his coat and hat for springtime.

So I turned my closet around, putting bright spring and summer clothes out front, pushing those winter darks into the corners.  I remembered things I forgot I had and saw what new outfits I can create.

Claudia DeMonte, La Donna di Buona Fortuna, 2013, bronze, Mattatuck Museum

And I got a bit more organized.

Claudia Demonte, Female Implements, 1995, Mattatuck Museum

Join me in saying goodbye to skating in perfect harmony for now.

Miriam Anne Barer, The Skaters, 1943, egg tempera on masonite, Florence Griswold Museum

Because there are strawberries to eat…

Charles Ethan Porter, Strawberries, 1888, oil on canvas, Florence Griswold Museum

…and flowers to whiff, while the gentle spring sun tickles the tops of our heads.

Edward F. Rook, Laurel, c1905-8, oil on canvas, Florence Griswold Museum

Remember that life starts over for us each season, too.

So give yourself a quiet moment to reflect.

J. Alder Weir, Portrait of Ella Baker Weir, c1910, oil on canvas, Lyman Allyn Museum

Talk a walk somewhere new.

J. Alden Weir, U.S. Thread Company Mills, Wilimantic, CT, c1893-7, on view at the Lyman Allyn

Try something a little crazy, just to shake out the old energy.

Salvador Dali’s Alice in Wonderland, on view at New Britain Museum of American Art

Write your thoughts upside down or in a funny shape.  What’s new about what it says now?

Excerpt, Salvador Dali’s Alice in Wonderland

Sometimes I just need to reframe something.  And then it’s new all over again!

Harry Holtzman, Open Relief, 1983, oil on wood, stone, Florence Griswold Museum

And I’m ready to keep going…

Happy Spring!