Elephants, Holly Sears, 2011. Oil on paper, laminated on board. Collection of the artist

Luminous paintings depicting fantastical flora and fauna of the Hudson River — the Hudson River Explorers — by Holly Sears are inspired by the river and the region’s rich history of discovery, exploration, and travel. Created as designs for 11 panels on the North and South Overpass corridors at the Tarrytown Metro-North Station, the paintings will be the 25th installed artwork in Metro North’s Capital Program. Hudson River Explorers can be seen at the Museum from June 9 to October 13. Your trip down a corridor is one of discovery just like the journeys of the creatures in Sears’ scenes. Commuters experience the passing of time in the light and color of the sky and in the river as it transitions and shimmers.

Songbirds, Holly Sears, 2011. Oil on paper, laminated on board. Collection of the artist

ARTIST STATEMENT
I have always been awed and inspired by the mystery and amorality of nature. My paintings deal with carefully selected subjects from my observations, visions, and experiences with the natural world. In the most recent decade, creatures living and dead, have entered into my images. Birds, butterflies, insects, and mammals have become part of the scenes that haunt my thoughts. I investigate the kinship between my envisioned nature and its inhabitants and their physical and spiritual machinations and intrigues. I see the natural world filled with both unconscious and symbolic rituals and phenomena. My paintings are meant to give insight into this often unseen world and a heightened awareness that challenges our assumptions about the world around us. The images in my paintings are surreal, yet firmly based in naturalism. The flora and fauna described in my paintings create a liaison between our natural world and our human world and imply a kinship to the human experience.

Ride, Holly Sears, 2011. Oil on paper, laminated on board. Collection of the artist