Captured on Canvas

New Englanders survive the winter for a week like this. The first really warm, sunny week that screams spring (or in this case, with highs near 80, early summer). We race for our shorts and sundresses, ignoring the goosebumps that arise with every breeze. We rush to grill something, anything, to spend just a few more minutes outside. We raise our heads to the sun and bask in the warmth.

For many of us, this winter has been especially long and dark. We’ve wondered where we are headed as a society. We’ve read the headlines and wondered what the hell is wrong with us as a people. We’ve fought the urge to give in to powerlessness, and we’ve struggled to keep reading, even as the stories get more and more distressing.

The circumstances of our world haven’t lifted — the headlines this morning have me even more stunned than ever, with national airlines dragging paying customers off of planes and college students hazing classmates by using their allergies as a weapon.

But for just an instant, when we walk outside and see fresh green grass, we feel that eternal sense of hope that comes with spring.

It’s one of those feelings that you can’t explain to a person – they have to experience it.

Recently, I saw a local art show that captured the feeling on canvas. Carrie Simon captured the joy of springtime, that moment of hope, in an art gallery. Even before this week had arrived, I remembered this feeling by looking at her images. Rich, lush flowers that flowed endlessly on every inch of her canvas. Pinks and blues and purples and yellows. Just rich, lush and full of joy.

On a rare occasion, art can capture a moment that’s otherwise ephemeral. This is the art we hold on to. Whether a poem (Wordsworth’s The Daffodils) or a painting, these are the emotions we seek to capture. And when it works, boy is it beautiful.

So to my fellow New Englanders, enjoy this week. Bask in the sun. And if you can, see if there’s a piece of art that reminds you of this moment – the inspiration, the joy, the hope. Make note and hold onto that. We will need it. Because as the weather improves, we will begin to take it for granted. It will get hot and muggy, and our enthusiasm will wane.

We will need the hope and unbridled joy of this week. And the only way to capture it for a rainy day is through art. So thanks, Carrie. I’ll be revisiting your paintings again soon.

Because isn’t that what we want from art, to capture a moment and bottle it for us, ready to share at any time?