Image of the Week: Spring Flood
© Durga Yael Bernhard
This acrylic painting was done in 1987 in Woodstock, New York – on April 11th, to be exact. When I sign with a specific date, it means I did the whole painting in one day. It might have been a day much like today, thirty-three years ago, with the early spring air driving me outdoors to soak up the cool sunshine.
Those of you who are local might recognize this bridge at the bottom of Yerry Hill Road. I was living in the old farmhouse at the top of the hill at the time. Sawkill Creek was a raging torrent that spring, and with my love of Fauvism firmly in mind, I saw the muddy water as an opportunity to exploit color in a new way.
The landscape paintings of Matisse and other Fauves (the term means "wild beast", referring to their outrageous use of color) were among my favorites in my formative years, and still are today. But I was more daring back then, and less constrained in my interpretations of nature. With the exception of the green foliage under the bridge, not one color in this painting is realistic. The forms of the landscape are tumbling and crude. I'm not sure I could paint with such youthful abandon anymore. After decades of working as a professional illustrator, my work is far more measured and constrained. Coming across this painting was like finding a photograph of myself in my twenties, with my hair carelessly tossed to one side. I was as free then as this wildly rushing water . . . water that long ago passed under that bridge and is far, far gone.
Life goes on, with a deep sigh. Now our whole world is constrained by a global pandemic, as we "shelter in place" and struggle to adapt to a new normal. But outside, spring unfolds with its usual verve as migrating ducks return to the stream near my house, magnolia blossoms are opening, and after the coming week's rain, mushrooms will start fruiting again. Here in the Catskills the changes are subtle at first, but gaining color each day. Soon I'll be heading outdoors with my acrylics once again to capture the blushing hues of the mountains . . . and to try to be free, within limits.
Wishing you a week of beautiful spring color.
D Yael Bernhard