Inside Art November 2026

by Louise Seirmarco-Yale, Reston artist

October offered a final extravagance of color before winter. Nature seemed to abandon restraint. Pumpkins, costumes, decorated houses, changing leaves and dramatic sunsets surrounded us. The month seemed all about color, celebration and exaggeration, resulting in a naturally abundant display of art.

With November comes a gradual stripping away of October’s decorations. The leaves disappear, branches become visible and the spaces between things begin to matter. The question then becomes, “Can removing something make what remains more beautiful?”

That abundance makes the coming emptiness more striking. Beauty does not require abundance. A single remaining leaf can be as visually compelling as an entire forest in full color.

Art then exists in what is missing. The spaces between bare branches are shapes in their own right. The changing landscape teaches us to see what isn’t there. A brilliantly colored autumn landscape and a nearly colorless one can each feel perfectly balanced. The means are different, but the visual satisfaction can be equally powerful.

Balance is an important concept in art. What seems to be negative space balances positive form, offering comfort to the eye. Balance means stability, calm, reassurance and security. The past month gave us fullness; the coming season introduces emptiness. Perhaps the most valuable lesson is that our ability to recognize beauty does not have to diminish when the world becomes less colorful. November simply requires us to see differently. The landscape becomes quieter as much of the season’s visual excitement disappears, but our homes often become warmer and more intimate.

The Thanksgiving table is especially interesting. A grandmother’s serving bowl may matter more than the food it holds. Choosing a slightly mismatched collection of chairs can communicate warmth and hospitality more effectively than a perfectly coordinated dining room.

The person who chooses a beautiful scarf, places a sprig of rosemary beside a dinner plate or decides where to hang a string of lights is making a personal aesthetic decision. They aren’t necessarily trying to make art; they are trying to make something feel right.

When someone adds a wreath to a perfectly functional, ordinary door, it isn’t to make the door work better. It is to make the entrance say, “Welcome!” Something functional has been given emotional meaning, which is remarkably close to what artists do.

A beautifully set table can say, “You matter to me.” Without a word, it says, “You belong.”

We don’t have to wait for an artist to bring art into our lives. We can bring it into our lives ourselves, daily. Art is always within us.

The visually reduced landscape influences our everyday aesthetic decisions. Notice what you are noticing as art. Celebrate being human together; enjoy the daily human art experience together. Art is part of us and we are part of art. Thankfully.

Louise Seirmarco-Yale is a Reston artist, speaker, teacher and author of “Art. You Be The Judge. Reawaken your Instincts, and Enjoy Art On Your Own Terms.” Download the book for free at www.peopleneedart.com/. It is also available on Amazon. Find her on Facebook and Instagram at @louise_seirmarco_art.