Atchafalaya Evening – SOLD – Prints Available

Atchafalaya Evening

The Atchafalaya Basin, or Atchafalaya Swamp, is the largest wetland and swamp in the United States. Located in south central Louisiana, it is a combination of wetlands and river delta area where the Atchafalaya River and the Gulf of Mexico converge. Growing up in south Louisiana, I have fond memories sharing many adventurous experiences with my family in this vast and colorful space.

Louisiana’s Atchafalaya Basin includes some 1.4 million acres and as the nation’s largest swamp wilderness has 885,000 acres of forested wetlands and 517,000 acres of marshland.  It contains nationally significant expanses of bottomland hardwoods, swamplands, bayous and back-water lakes. I can tell you, I have done my share of fishing and crawfishing in these swamps and bayous.

The basin is a 135-mile long natural distributary of the Mississippi River that empties into the Gulf of Mexico. With the Atchafalaya River being one of the five major distributaries of the Mississippi River, the Mississippi discharges 30 percent of its flow into the Atchafalaya River.

The vast delta of the Atchafalaya River is a prime wintering habitat for waterfowl, an important breeding bird habitat and supports half of America’s migratory waterfowl.  These marshes and bottomland hardwood forested wetlands provide essential food resources that the migrants store for their long flight.  It contains one of the largest fish crops in the United States, and yields 23 million pounds of crawfish annually. Oh, how I love crawfish. I enjoyed catching them just about as much as I enjoy eating them, but not quite.

“The Atchafalaya is also considered the most productive swamp in the world and is probably the most productive land in the Northern Hemisphere. It is considered three to five times more productive than the Everglades and the Okefenokee Swamp. It is a natural resource that deserves the same national attention to its preservation as the Everglades.”

“There is an almost mystical connection between Cajun fisherman and the swamp, a desire not only to see but to touch. To be part of the wilderness…to be in concert with the big woods.” – Greg Guirard

Title: Atchafalaya Evening
Medium: Acrylic
Size: 30×40
Price: $1800

This painting titled “Atchafalaya Evening” is just as complex as the Atchafalaya Basin. It is comprised of layers of paint with various widths, textures and directions that are interwoven and tangled with each other. Can’t you see the tall cypress trees standing guard over the swamp while the evening mist and fog begin to roll in? Just a glimmer of light hangs on as the glimpses of sunshine begin to fade. But the fascinating Atchafalaya swamp holds onto its mysterious way of life. 

“With each new season, the Atchafalaya Swamp changes its face. Winter blows in isolation and despair as the frigid morning fog rolls across the basin swamp. Spring signals a rebirth as lush greens and vibrant purples reach forward to embrace its new season. Sunrise in the basin awakens its creatures as snakes slither, and alligators and turtles bask in the sunlight. As the sun descends on another day, an eerie silence hangs on until the haunting cry of the egret penetrates the morning.”  

Dare to Feel

Red

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