Emerge Gallery is pleased to present Sawkill: Story of a River through Art, an exclusive exhibition on ARTSY, running from February 1 - May 31, 2020. To view and purchase work in this exhibition, go to Artsy.
The exhibit features 37 works by Hudson Valley artist Linda Lynton, exploring the Sawkill River which runs through the Woodstock, NY, valley in the southern Catskills region of NY state. It includes oil paintings, pastels, ink drawings, and monotypes showing the landscape and natural features that stood out during her journey along the waterway. Lynton’s work celebrates the natural beauty of this Upstate NY region.
This unpretentious river, which spans 20 miles through Woodstock and the surrounding countryside like a leitmotif in a symphony, is ever present, reappearing at unexpected turns. “It has been a part of my life since I moved to Woodstock 12 years ago,” says the artist, Linda Lynton, “so I decided to explore it from start to finish. Beginning with Echo Lake in the mountains just below Overlook peak, I followed it through the forests of the Indian Wilderness, to the valley and village of Woodstock. It then passes the hamlet of Sawkill, where it empties out into the Esopus Creek by Kingston, which feeds into the Hudson River at Saugerties.”
The river holds historical significance in developing the surrounding lands and communities from the wealthy who settled along the river to the industrial revolution found in the valleys and farms in the hills. The artist followed the river through the Indian Wilderness Preserve, and had the help of many people living along its banks, from farmers in the hills to home owners in the valleys. “The generosity and kindness of the people I met through this project was extraordinary,” she says. “I couldn’t have completed this journey, and created my artwork, without their help. Home owners who didn’t know me let me paint in their back yards, and farmers I’d never met before opened their fields. I made new friends from this journey, and I thank them all for their kindness.”
The surprises weren’t all human, either, she adds. “We have new neighbors. Beavers are moving in upstream in the hills, which I feel is a wonderful sign of the resilience of nature, despite what humanity has been doing to the environment, and the pressures the Catskills have faced over the past 200 years.”
“Linda’s work celebrates the natural diversity found along the river and plays a larger part in the historical story of the area, whose beauty was brought to prominence by generations of artists, including Lynton herself,” explains gallery director Robert Langdon. “I am very pleased, through Artsy, to be offering this stunning work of the river to a world community that may not be aware of its story.”