Description:
Acrylic on canvas
Artist:
Katy Cauker
Location:
Vault, 248 Strand Hall, OSU Corvallis, OR.
Dimensions:
18” x 36”
Awards:
Gift from Katy Cauker to the College of Agricultural Sciences.
Artist Statement:
"Historically, a wide variety of orchard crops blanket the Rogue Valley. In recent years the orchards are being removed; replaced with vineyards, the aromatic hemp and cannabis plants, housing or simply remain empty. I believe the orchards are being removed because of the drought conditions due to climate change. Irrigation rights are a contentious issue.
“I notice the missing orchards translates to fewer large swaths of the pink, peach blossoms blanketing the landscapes, one of the most inspiring first signs of spring. The white blossoms of pears come before the peach give way to the bright, green of new growth. Soon after the apples open. Plums, cherries, persimmons keep the momentum going for weeks. I have taken such colorful vistas for granted, until now.
“Now instead, the fields are filled with rows of bare stemmed grape vines, rows of white plastic greenhouse buildings for drying hemp or growing cannabis, machinery and construction or left fallow. The emotional boost from the spring display viewed by all as they zoom past acres of blossoming trees, with acres of elegant limbs trimmed in delicate pink and white cannot be over valued. It is a feast for the eyes that sustains and nourishes all who pass by.
“In the eastern hills large, older orchards are still thriving. I spent the early spring wandering the hills for vantage points that reveal the weaving patterns and new growth hues of the large scale farms. In early spring orchards take on a halo of new growth colors even while the limbs appear bare from a distance. The blooms accentuate the severe pruning characteristic of orchard trees giving each tree a more sculptural and animated appearance. Rows of figures clothed in airy blooms, arms uplifted welcoming all.”
Katy Cauker, 2022
Year:
n.d.