Andrew Barthelmes
Indian Summer
2017
Oil on Wood
104" x 62"

Indian Summer is one of my largest, most detailed paintings and tells an important story. The nuclear power plant Indian Point, has been a source of controversy due to its safety issues and proximity to major populations and is now slated to close in 2021. The conversation has turned to its future, the continued threat to safety, and the possible reuse of the property. Many are not aware of the property’s past life as an amusement park, at one point the park drew as many as 15,000 visitors a day, on summer weekends. My work attempts to combine the past, present and future and evoke amusement park advertisements from a time when amusement parks were a huge draw in this area. The painting is oil on wood and measures 104” x 62”, including frame.

The painting was first created as part of the show "Undercurrents" at the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art at New Paltz in 2017. From New Paltz it was moved to the headquarters of Riverkeeper where it was on display for over a year. It is currently available for view in downtown Peekskill, NY.