Awaken Your City
“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”
Monument Glow, Watercolor, 7”x7”
On a morning walk through Indianapolis, Emily Winslow's idea for Awaken Your City was born. As she passed the Indy Arts Garden, she noticed the sun reflecting off the building's blue-green glass. Where darkness was, light now radiated, and it conquered the city as the day began.
Inspired by the first few hours of the day, Awaken Your City is about renewal. When today is difficult, tomorrow still comes. Winslow finds it comforting that in the same way the morning sun overcomes night's darkness, a new day brings new hope. There is joy in the morning, and it shows us that challenging times are temporary.
Living in Indianapolis for seven years now, Winslow is familiar with iconic and recognizable spots around the city, many of which make appearances in her show. But she also showcases what she refers to as "quieter pockets of the city." She shares, "They are places that I love and make Indianapolis feel like home." A fountain in Woodruff Place, a neighborhood in Fountain Square, and a beautiful home on Delaware Street are just a few.
Woodruff Place Blooms, Watercolor, 7” x 7”
Morning in FSQ, Watercolor, 14” x 18”
Delaware House, Watercolor, 7” x 7”
An important part of portraying these spaces is to keep the colors she saw while passing the Indy Arts Garden is present in every piece of her show, so everything is covered in a warm glow. She created a color palette from her first painting of that scene, and to tie all the paintings together, primarily used yellows, oranges, and pinks "to convey morning light…the sun starting to rise and shine on buildings and windows."
Emily Winslow's Awaken Your City is a reminder of the power of light. She explains, "darkness can overcome light, yet a simple flame of a candle or flashlight can penetrate even the deepest darkness." She hopes that viewers would "take another look at Indianapolis," and see the beauty of places familiar to them, along with those they've never been to. By getting a sense of the show's warmth, they would leave with a bit more hope than they came with.