Idyllic Scene by the Water

Cindy Liu

This painting was completed over the course of 1.5 months, and leans on the concept of “I do not dream of labor,” first attributed to James Baldwin. I sought to capture an alternative to the “dream” of labor—the false societal narrative that work leads to individual freedom—by painting the most dreamlike landscape I could think of. The Ghibli-inspired painting features foliage, plants, grass, and trees, a variety of lush textures and shades of green—thought to be a relaxing color on the eyes—to evoke a sense of reverie and long afternoons by the water, the sun beaming down languidly.

I’m planning on gifting this piece to my mother for Mother’s Day this year (though she doesn’t know it yet!). My mom has long dreamt of her life beyond labor, and I want to give her a vista she can gaze upon in her home office—an escape she can draw upon when completing the day to day minutiae of her tasks.