The Dries
In the late summer of 1982 I was living in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and spending a great deal of my free time kayaking. I was excited about the prospects of running the famed New River in West Virginia. But that was before I fell in love and postponed several ideas about my single life.
After 35 years, I finally made the trip a few years ago with my husband Michael. But this time the view was not from a kayak but from along the river’s banks. It is a beautiful river even when the water levels are low, peacefully flowing in some areas, but in others the water running fast over the incredible rapids respected by all paddlers—the boils, the roostertails, the must-catch eddies.
Finally, we reached the dries. The term refers not to the condition of the river but to a five- and-one-half mile stretch below the Hawks Nest Dam where the water is diverted through a three-mile tunnel to generate power. For a long time paddlers had to wait until the water was high enough to run the river, but now there are timed releases, allowing outdoor adventure companies to thrive. It was not being released this day, so the true power of this river still evaded me.
This painting with collage on deep wood panel depicts the area of the dries. It is painted on a substrate of gesso with acrylic paint, paper, and charcoal pencil and finished with cold wax medium.
After 35 years, I finally made the trip a few years ago with my husband Michael. But this time the view was not from a kayak but from along the river’s banks. It is a beautiful river even when the water levels are low, peacefully flowing in some areas, but in others the water running fast over the incredible rapids respected by all paddlers—the boils, the roostertails, the must-catch eddies.
Finally, we reached the dries. The term refers not to the condition of the river but to a five- and-one-half mile stretch below the Hawks Nest Dam where the water is diverted through a three-mile tunnel to generate power. For a long time paddlers had to wait until the water was high enough to run the river, but now there are timed releases, allowing outdoor adventure companies to thrive. It was not being released this day, so the true power of this river still evaded me.
This painting with collage on deep wood panel depicts the area of the dries. It is painted on a substrate of gesso with acrylic paint, paper, and charcoal pencil and finished with cold wax medium.