You may say this is a visionary world, but it has its own way, and is, while you look at it, just the same as the real world."
— Gong Xian
Andrea Kantrowitz presents a new series of large-scale ink and brush artworks on mylar, inspired by the wooded landscapes of the Hudson Valley where she lives and works. The visionary works of the seventeenth-century poet-painter, Gong Xian, an early influence on her artistic development, are subtly recalled in these vertical pieces. Hovering on the threshold between drawing and painting, they capture the forest’s intricate forms—twisting branches, layered foliage, vernal pools, and light filtering through the canopy above. Rather than literal representations, these pieces, six and seven feet tall, convey the immersive experience of being “among the trees,” as the poet Mary Oliver once wrote. The fluidity of ink captures both serenity and complexity, drawing viewers into the detailed, dense world of the forest.
Kantrowitz’s art evokes the meditative state of being "lost in the woods," inspired by the Japanese practice of Shinrin-Yoku, or “forest bathing.” As the images slowly come into focus for the viewer, the experience echos the process of attuning to the hidden rhythms of the woodland. Her work translates the overwhelming density and richness of the natural world into a visual language that encourages contemplation, asking viewers to connect deeply with the environment and their own sense of presence within it.
Kantrowitz earned her EdD at Columbia University, New York, NY, her MFA from Yale University School of Art, New Haven, CT, and her BA from Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. She lives and works in Rosendale, NY.