Train Pictures (Images 1-8)

After many years of living in Brooklyn, New York, I recently relocated to the Hudson Valley. Now, I often find myself commuting back and forth to the city via the Metro North line. The train ride along the Hudson River offers breathtaking views— serene stretches of water juxtaposed with glimpses of utility poles, train tracks, and industrial sites.

Last spring, I began using my iPhone to capture these scenes during my train journeys. To my surprise, the pictures came out abstract, as though I had cut up views of nature and industry and reassembled them into a single picture frame. Space, time, perspective (and sometimes inside and outside the train) were distorted and blended. While there may be a technical explanation for this effect, it’s not the mechanics that intrigue me. What fascinates me is how these images resonate with the themes in my current studio paintings and drawings.

Leo Marx, in The Machine in the Garden, has fueled our current conversations about the conflicts and future of nature and technology. This intersection of industry and nature is something I find myself examining not just through my photos, but also through my art.

Nancy Manter

Nancy Manter