Delaware River Valley

Kulvinder Kaur Dhew. EastCoast

Kulvinder Kaur Dhew.
Pasque Rises You Will See.
Acrylic on canvas.
40 x 40 in

Kulvinder Kaur Dhew.
Whereupon Glows Botany.
Acrylic on canvas.
40 x 40 in

It was the cacophony of sound and density of forest that struck me when I first visited this east-coast region.  The area is rich with a micro-biome that is both sustaining and dangerous.  There is flora and fauna that offer such beauty it makes the knees quiver upon discovering a ‘red in tooth and claw’ under-carriage. The vivid purple hyacinth, otherworldly, part plant, part animal, ushers in the spring season blasting its song-lines through the verdant landscape with dramatic fervor. I cannot help but feel respect for the seemingly ordered chaos accompanying this strange phenomenon.

Amongst the many delights of living in such a diverse environment is the knowledge of the ever-changing visual, be it hourly or seasonal. It is always moving, giving one the sense of being part of a massive thing.   During late summer, the heat of the day gives way to a cooler evening. Tree frogs, lunar moths and other visitors take center stage to carry out duties with intensity.  The moment embodies all that is past, present, future and to tell the tale is one of time travel. 

The liquid sunshine accompanying the onset of long summer shadows, fireflies continuing their code into the moonlight, light reflected from snow, a raucous dawn chorus that awakes us from our slumber, and many other sources of poetic ranting, make it a challenge to explain how the paradoxes and contrasts of this river valley conspire towards inspiration.  My paintings are vignettes of various experiences, thoughts and reflections of this landscape.