COMMUNITY GALLERIES

Aprajita Lal: Where Light Lingers

The Gallery at The Summit Free Public Library
September 1–October 31, 2026
A watercolor painting of sunlight streaming through a dense forest. Golden-yellow light glows through the canopy at upper left, illuminating hazy mist that drifts among tree trunks and undergrowth. Tall, slender tree trunks rise vertically through the scene, silhouetted against the warm light, while pine-like branches with deep reddish-brown and rust-colored needles arch across the composition. The forest floor and lower foliage are rendered in warm amber, russet, and burnt-sienna tones, blending softly into the misty middle ground. The overall effect is warm, atmospheric, and softly diffused, evoking early morning or late afternoon sunlight breaking through autumn woods. A signature appears in the lower right corner.

First Light 2, 2026, Watercolor, 24 x 18 inches

Artist’s Statement:

In Where Light Lingers, artist Aprajita Lal presents paintings inspired by her close observation of the natural world. These works share a preoccupation with transience — the particular qualities of sunlight between seasons, or how one’s perspective of a landscape shifts while in motion. Lal translates these ephemeral moments through the belief she’s coined as LUMINEMOTIVE — that light is not merely something a painting depicts, but something it feels. Lal works primarily in transparent watercolor, a medium that rewards patience and forbids correction. Each wash must be laid down with intention; the white of the paper, left untouched, becomes the brightest light in the picture. Like Lal’s artistic practice, this exhibition invites viewers to slow down and meet the natural world at the pace it actually moves.

Artist’s Bio
Aprajita Lal is an award-winning artist whose work explores the quiet interplay of light, memory, and emotion. After a successful career in the corporate world leading global technology and business initiatives, she decided to pursue her lifelong passion for art full-time, transforming a creative calling into an internationally recognized practice. Her work has been exhibited at ArtExpo New York, Affordable Art Fair New York, and Art Basel Miami, and is held in private collections across the United States and abroad. Lal is represented by Park West Gallery and has received numerous honors, including the Silvia Maria Glesman Award from the Salmagundi Club and Best Contemporary Nature Artist of 2025 by LuxLife magazine.