This portfolio of work is a collection of images that developed from an invitation to a group show based on the theme of the Hudson River. To begin my work on this project I took snapshots and created sketches while looking through the window of the train upon a trip from Albany to Manhattan in December of 2007. So much of the history of this river is related to transportation that I felt it fitting to connect with the landscape in this way.

During this particular trip I viewed the river as if I had never taken this train ride before. In each direction I took in different information from both sides of the train view. I began to take inventory of objects and wildlife that interacted with the river’s natural landscape.

As I was viewing the river from an already interrupted glance through the train window, I began to make correlations between manmade obstructions within the landscape. Structures like bridges, smokestacks and relics of past industry, became part of my consciousness, and I felt the need to juxtapose them with naturally occurring elements.

The hills and mountains represented in the work are inspired by those of the Catskills and Lower Hudson areas. As my process took me into the spring and early summer months, the undeniable beauty of the seasonal colors found their place within the woodblock prints and collages, whereas the dry points and monotypes reflect a sense of winter. As far as the river’s natural habitat, I observed striking black and white birds (which I later found out were “Common Mergansers - males in breeding plumage” from a NYSDEC wildlife leader). I had these birds in my consciousness throughout the making of these works and although they are not represented in the pieces literally, something about their natural co-existence with the landscape inspired me greatly.

Kristen DeFontes