Artists have long been moved by the way light looks across the Adirondack landscape, a quality that has attracted them to seek out the region. The works that they create depict the interplay of light with water, forests, and mountain peaks, revealing a deeply personal, emotional response to nature.     

Light also serves as a metaphor for how artists interpret the world. They use light to create mood, change perception, or give meaning. The light permeating the Adirondacks can evoke tranquility, comfort and healing, or sorrow and anger.

The places where land and water meet are among the most universal scenes depicted in Adirondack artwork. The forces of nature—and the forces of humanity—are evident in the way artists have portrayed the region. Their works use water to convey mood and the human experience, from stormy waves in turbulent times to light breaking through clouds when the future offers more hope. 

But Adirondack waters are also themselves fragile, vulnerable to pollution and climate change; contemporary artists reinforce our shared responsibility to preserve their splendor.