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Label Text Gwenne Hayes-Stewart painted this work while visiting Coralville Reservoir, a man-made lake and dam north of Iowa City. Composed from an array of thin and meticulous brushstrokes, Hayes-Stewart’s picture captures the reservoir’s environmental impact. The upper portion of the piece is crowded with marks of lush green tones; an indication of vitality. The lower portion is sparse and barren, reflecting detritus left behind after reservoir water has flooded and receded. “The reservoir was young at that time,” Hayes-Stewart recalls, “killing trees as it matured over a [five to ten] year period. It was an isolated, haunting place of both beauty and destruction.” October, 2020
Exhibition History"Director's Choice," thirty-four works of art purchased with the Director's Discretionary Fund, 1973-1982 - a gift to the Des Moines Art Center from the Gardner and Florence Call Cowles Foundation, Des Moines Art Center, b/w cat. repro.
DimensionsSheet: 18 × 22 in. (45.7 × 55.9 cm)
Image: 17 5/8 × 21 1/2 in. (44.8 × 54.6 cm)
Accession Number 1980.3
Classificationswork on paper
SignedGwenne Glasser Engh (l,r graphite)
Coralville Reservoir Series No. 3
Photo Credit: Rich Sanders, Des Moines
Photo Credit: Rich Sanders, Des Moines