Woodland Road

"Woodland Road"

10x20 acrylic on stretched canvas

Available through DPW gallery

I like to collect postcards and have done so since I was a child. They fascinate me - small glimpses into another place, another world. I have a box of them and there are times when I like to open the box & look through. Some are blank & unused, while others have handwritten notes from people I knew - some are long gone & it's a delight to see their handwriting again. 

Upstate in the Adirondacks, there are literally hundreds of small towns, villages & homesteads scattered about some of the most scenic areas. Taking a drive can literally make the world, and it's tensions, melt away. Many of these scenes & areas have been captured in postcards - and this painting was inspired by 1 such postcard from 1909 (pictured below). 

The captions on it are: "On the Fonda, Johnstown & Gloversville R.R." and also "Woodland Road, Sacandaga, N.Y." I chose to add shadows that the original postcard did not have, as I thought the road was a bit too "much" for the scene. I wanted the viewer to think they were on that road, and not just looking at a picture of a road. I hope I captured that moment.

If you are interested in the history of the Adirondacks, and the 6 million acres in the Adirondack Park (yes, 6 million acres), you can read & learn more from this link.

I have collected many vintage postcards from the area, as it is rich with history & stories. And the scenes don't look too bad either!