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Artist Lori Zurvalec stands next to “Absent in Physical Presence Only,” a painting of her late father’s chair that’s on display in her new solo show.
Photo by K. Michelle Moran
GROSSE POINTE FARMS — In early March 2020, Grosse Pointe City artist Lori Zurvalec had just opened a solo exhibition — mostly of drawings — at Grosse Pointe Congregational Church in Grosse Pointe Farms, where she chairs the Arts Ministry.
It was also the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan. Zurvalec had a poorly attended opening reception March 12 — many were avoiding gatherings — and just days later, on March 16, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer closed down restaurants, bars and other public gathering spaces as COVID-19 cases rose in Michigan.
“It was the exhibition nobody saw,” Zurvalec said.
That hasn’t been the case for Zurvalec’s new solo show, A Scatter of Leaves & Blooms, on display and open to the public through March 29 in the GPCC gallery. The GPCC Arts Ministry will celebrate its 10th anniversary this fall.
Stepping into the gallery is like entering the 120-count box of Crayola crayons. Vivid colors leap from the canvases.
“My intention with this show was joy,” Zurvalec said. “I wanted color and vibrancy and a counter to this very long, very cold winter that we’ve had.”
One of the standouts is “Ancient Bur Oaks no. 2.” The acrylic is one of multiple images Zurvalec has made of a more than 250-year-old white oak on Washington Road in Grosse Pointe City that was killed by a windstorm in July 2023. The tree has since been immortalized in the form of a “cookie” — a section of trunk sliced out and finished by late urban forester Brian Colter — that’s now on display at Grosse Pointe City Hall. When Zurvalec named her artwork, she had been told it was an ancient bur oak.
“I could see that oak from my backyard,” Zurvalec said. “From the moment we moved into that house (in 1982), I have been drawing that tree.”
During the COVID pandemic, “I needed subject matter,” Zurvalec said. “I kept painting that tree. … I loved that tree.”
Zurvalec said the tree was one of a line of ancient oaks that could be found in the backyards of her neighborhood.
Zurvalec is an award-winning artist whose works have been featured in numerous galleries and shows. One of her most recent honors was a Bronze Award from the Michigan Water Color Society for “Fragmented Leaves,” which is part of MWCS’ annual travel show, on display through March 21 at the Downriver Council for the Arts in Wyandotte.
Zurvalec wasn’t trying to showcase herself by organizing this exhibition. She said there was an unfilled slot in GPCC’s 2026 exhibition schedule, so she put together a collection of her work rather than leave the gallery walls bare.
Her solo show consists of recent works, many of them featuring plants. Another recurrent image is that of a simple chair; she said the chair — which she still has — belonged to her late father. Zurvalec said she’s painted the chair many times over the years.
The Rev. Richard Yeager-Stiver, pastor of GPCC, called Zurvalec’s work “astonishing (and) humbling.”
“For me, the awesome part is that the creator of this space is now filling the space,” Yeager-Stiver said. “It really brings together what the Arts Ministry was created for — creativity, a wholeness.”
Zurvalec hopes her show leaves visitors feeling uplifted during a time when she said many are experiencing despair.
“We need hope,” she said. “We need positivity.”
Grosse Pointe Congregational Church is located at 240 Chalfonte Ave. in Grosse Pointe Farms. The gallery is open Sundays from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. or by appointment. For more information or to make an appointment to see the gallery, call (313) 884-3075 or email Arts@gpcong.org.
