Home»Exhibitions»After Autumn

The end of the season brings subtle transitions to the landscape. The spectacle of fall color transforms into the gentle browning of all that is left, with the accumulation of fallen leaves that rustle on the ground, and the last bits of color fading away each day. The tapestry of texture and muted colors suggest a slowing down for the winter yet to come, as squirrels scurry to find the last food for the long season ahead. The rivers runs more slowly with a calm stillness in the valleys, as the sun sets each day earlier and earlier, its long rays now able to penetrate the naked branches of the bare trees. The forest transforms itself for yet another year of dormancy until spring, when the cycle starts again as it has for millennia.

I come to the forest for renewal and the witnessing of the autumn's farewell prepares me to close my year. For all that it suggests, the cooling of the air, the shortness of the days, the openness of the once dense forest now reveals the essence of tree: trunks, branches, and root, like the naked limbs of our own bodies, unadorned, exposing true identity.

We too go through these cycles, and it becomes important to become aware of our own transitions through the "seasons" of our day, weeks, months, years, and lives. Our distractions and preoccupations with the material world often mask what is a natural process, and we suddenly awaken to what appears to be sudden shifts in positions and circumstance. No, the natural forces at work in our lives continue, as the mountain stream flows and the leaves change. Become aware and in harmony with what is, and allow our lives to become enriched with what is intended to be ours.

Please enjoy my interpretation of the Autumn transition. This is one of the most contemplative times of the year, as we witness visual change and feel the movement to a quieter time. Find your own time and space to contemplate the seasons, whatever time of the year it may be. It has always been here for us to enjoy and derive inspiration or insight directly from the Source.
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Note: these images were taken on a road trip to Asheville NC (Nov 1-7, 2009) which included the Blue Ridge Parkway NP, Pisgah NF, The Great Smoky Mountains NP and the Nantahala NF, all places of beauty and magnificence.