Something about a waterfall

By Ginny Privitar
MILFORD — Artist Marie Liu says the natural landscapes surrounding her new hometown contain magic and power, with waterfalls holding a special attraction for her.

You can see how much she's been inspired by them by viewing her waterfalls series, which is so stunning, you can practically hear the water roar.

“I guess I’ve always been attracted to water," she said. "There’s a wonderful feeling being near a waterfall, and I guess I wanted to portray that and give people the experience of being at a waterfall.”

Liu, who moved to Milford three years ago, relishes the abundant natural beauty found in Pike’s plentiful federal parks and state lands and along the Delaware River.

“There are tons of gorgeous waterfalls — Pinchot falls, Shohola Falls — it’s really hard to pick a favorite," she said. "Each one has its own personality and character.”

Some are deep in the forest, but others are readily accessible.

“At Dingmans Falls they built a boardwalk going to it," she said. "Even in a wheelchair you could get to it. It’s a beautiful trip down the boardwalk, and there are rhododendrons growing on each side and a stream nearby and two waterfalls.”

Raymondskill Falls, the tallest waterfall in the state, is another favorite. There’s a trail from Raymondskill to the Knob, with a splendid view which overlooks Milford and the Delaware River.

Rediscovering beauty
Liu was born in Westchester, but lived most of her life in Orange County, where her interest in art was nurtured. At Middletown High School, teacher Dale Slavin inspired her to begin painting.

“I was quite fond of him," she said. "He was a memorable guy and that influenced me.”

The Art in the Park Program had a great influence as well.

“They used to have all the schools exhibit their art work on the fencing at the little triangular park on West Main Street," she said. "I got a kick out of displaying my work there. That kind of played a role in me choosing art school.”

Liu attended The Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design in Denver. She recalls it as being pretty flat, but with views of majestic mountains in the distance. After a while she really started to miss the Northeast with its varied and lovely scenery. She moved back to Orange County and did lots of landscapes. For 11 years she owned Star Gallery in Middletown with her mother, Nancy Werany, for 11 years. It closed in the 1990s.

She's in love with her new hometown.

“I just absolutely adore it," she said. "I’m just so thrilled. I love everything about this area. There’s lots of state and federal land that people can access for hiking and recreation. I hike a lot — always trying to find different places to paint. My subject matter when I first came here was the woods, creeks and waterfalls.”

More recently Liu has incorporating historical figures from the area into her paintings. She was inspired by Gifford Pinchot, the first chief of the United States Forrest Service and a two-time governor of Pennsylvania. He fought hard for forest conservation, working with Theodore Roosevelt. Liu did a painting of Gifford Pinchot leaning against a tree and looking at the falls named for him. She said he's got “a really interesting story."

"He is a top-notch, fascinating, historic figure from the area," she said. "He brought the profession of forestry to this country and turned it into a department of the government.”

Thanks to efforts by Pinchot and others like him, the natural beauty of Pike's forests remains for the artist in each one of us.

Liu mostly works in oil paints, but also does portraits of people and pets in charcoal. One of her local landscapes, “Hometown Views (Middletown, NY),” can be seen in Middletown City Hall, Room 12.

A painting by Liu, “Orange County Bounty,” was hung in the government center in Goshen, which has been closed since getting flooded by Hurricane Irene two years ago. “I hope it’s not still in there," she said.

A portfolio of Marie Liu’s work may be seen at www.mliuart.com/portfolio.html. Her paintings are on display at the ARTery Gallery, 210 Broad St., Milford, Pa.