Early mornings I often sit by the shore of the Hudson River as the sun slowly rises, shining light on the water and far side cliffs. These moments of peace by the river are a balm to the soul, ground me and clear my head, come what may. This estuary known as the “river that flows both ways” serves as a metaphor for the push/pull of our human circumstance. Exploring themes of perception and transformation, my work subverts form and content as a response to our changing environment in this era of the Anthropocene. I share excerpts from three different yet related bodies of work that morph from alarm to overwhelmed disconnect to finding balance and healing in the beauty that remains. Message from GRACE: Imagings of an Altered World offers an inverted reality, present but not yet seen. Delicate details or vast landscapes are familiar yet strange, holding both beauty and decay, alarm and possibilities. Drift/Bound: Untethered Landscapes found focus during the pandemic as it translated my visceral disconnect from this increasingly surreal world. The final images are the beginnings of a new, ongoing immersive project inspired by the history and evident beauty of the Hudson Valley.
BIO:
Visual artist Dawn Watson is a longtime resident of New York’s Hudson Valley. After 25 years as a professional dancer/choreographer based in New York City, Watson shifted her artistic practice to photography. Her former career continues to influence her art, as does her deep connection to nature. Her work has been featured online and in print, including Diffusion X Magazine, Shots Magazine, Elizabeth Avedon Journal, Griffin Museum of Photography blog, Lenscratch and What Will You Remember. Her photographs and artist books have been in juried exhibitions throughout the United States and Europe, including the Albrecht-Kemper Museum, Center for Fine Art Photography, Davis-Orton Gallery, Foto Forum, Ph21 Gallery, Tilt Gallery, Tang Teaching Museum and in solo exhibitions at the Griffin Museum of Photography, The Los Angeles Center for Photography and Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts. Her work is held in private collections and at The Lodge at Woodloch. Based in Hastings on Hudson, NY, Watson continues her long association as board member of regional environmental organization Scenic Hudson, Inc.
Contact:
www.dawnwatson.art
Instagram: Dawn Watson. Photo
347-410-0877
