By
Lauri Novak
Piece description from the artist
This image arrives in color, and the decision matters. The first tender leaves of spring — luminous, almost electric green — cling to the upper branches of a small, wind-bent tree at the water's edge. Against the cool silver-blue of Buttermere's mirror surface and the muted tawny hills beyond, that green is startling. It is the color of insistence. Of beginning again.
The tree leans out over the water with the conviction of something reaching for light — not upright, not sturdy, but alive with directed intention. Its bare lower branches, still waiting for the season, contrast with the fresh growth at its crown, making the tree itself a record of transition, a single organism caught between states. Novak frames it alone against the lake, neither cropped nor crowded, allowing it the dignity of a full portrait.
Behind it, Buttermere performs its signature stillness. The surrounding fells — Robinson to the left, the High Stile range receding to the right — are doubled in the water with such fidelity that the reflection reads as a second landscape rather than a copy of the first. Sky and lake become indistinguishable in hue, and the rocky shoreline and scattered stones at lower right are the only evidence of a boundary between worlds.
Where Rooted studied endurance and Fallen examined surrender, this work is about emergence — the quiet audacity of new growth at the edge of still water, in the full, unhurried light of a Lake District spring.
Lauri Novak is a fine art photographer. She has an eye for photographing architecture, traveling as much as possible and just wandering in nature with her camera.
Having grown up within an hour of one of the most architecturally rich cities, this sparked an interest in architecture early in her life, which has been a recurring theme in her work over the years. The camera was ever-present in her life growing up in one form or another, including the many family vacation photos that were taken by her mother. Lauri received her first camera when she was a child. Since then, the world has opened up to her through her viewfinder and has brought into focus many of the details in life that are often overlooked.
Traveling was also a big part of her life. Her family went somewhere new every year, which allowed Lauri to see different parts of the country, different cities and landscapes across the United States. This opened up so many opportunities for photographs and the wandering spirit, which is part of who she is to this day. On her own, she traveled overseas and discovered different cultures, amazing historical architecture and the incredible beauty that is everywhere in this world. All the while capturing what she saw with her camera.
One of the questions Lauri is asked most often, both by viewers of her work and other photographers, is, “How did you see that?” She works hard to show different perspectives, unique angles and the everyday details of a wide variety of subjects.
Lauri is also passionate about helping others. She also shares her inspiration and motivational tips for photographers as a Medium and Substack author.
Her work has been featured in Our USA Magazine, the Chicago Tribune, Kane County Chronicle and on WGN-TV. She has had images in several galleries in Chicago and in an international exhibition in Barcelona.
You can find more of her work at laurinovak.com
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