The Road to the Oxbow

The Road to the Oxbow is a series of photographs that explores the mundane, roadside spaces on the way to the view of Thomas Cole's painting of The Oxbow. It is not the direct route, but instead a metaphorical journey through layers of time with power lines acting as a guiding force through a landscape of sprawl. I construct each photograph using the tropes of the Hudson River School painters, paying attention to powerful lighting, skies and the creation of vast space. Upon arriving to the top of Mount Holyoke, I turn away from the view. Instead I photograph the parking lot on top of the mountain show how painterly representation does not match reality and the prevalence of spaces of dross in the American landscape.