Forest Light by Emily Carr (1928)

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎Forest Light Emily Carr parallels the lives of dreamers in Canadian literature. By narrating the account of dreamers who hold onto their imagination and refuse to let go even when their decisions disappoint the world of more realists, Carr’s painting reaches out to audiences who find a light in the darkness and meaning in the nonsense of the world.

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎Often described as stubborn or crazy, dreamers defy the norms of thought by trailing off into the worlds that they created and fostered in their heads and hearts. It is not every thought that they accumulate to build their worlds of dreams, but rather they put to light what they want to keep and cherish, and from there they give everything they have on the line to keep their dream in the spotlight and to fulfill it.

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎Likewise, Forest Light features a dark setting of swirling treetops and shadowy silhouettes of pines but standing short and stout at the very center of the piece is a bright, almost white tree, mounted upon a gentle, rocky yellow hill. The canvas of the painting represents the canvas of a mind, and the brightness of the dream that illuminates the dim around it stands as the glorious objective of the dreamer amongst the multitudinous hopeless paths that may encompass it.

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎But as the piece shows clearly, such beautiful dreams are never alone. Just as a light that shines in the darkness is unhidden, whatever light is illuminating the center tree is also brightening other trees around it. When dreamers hold onto a sure hope, which is what dreams become when they are watered with faith, they no longer hang on to the possibility of a fairy tale and continue their journey, but when they surrender every ambition that is not related to their dream, their resilience is rewarded greatly with their hope becoming more assured with the company of more confidence.

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎Therefore, Forest Light encapsulates the stories of faithful pursuers of visions that empower themselves and the people around them with hope. Speaking for people of all races, all statuses, and all living conditions, the stories of dreamers that were successful in committing to their dreams – not necessarily succeeding in or fulfilling them – cast more than a light on themselves, rather, they too share the light of promise generously with the realists around them. However, even then, the dreams are dreams, no matter how real they become to the dreamer.