Brandywine River Valley

A case of dueling inspirations

If you follow my work, you know that it is highly influenced by landscape painters, particularly the Hudson River School painters who were active in the 19th century. My other inspiration is the more contemporary Andrew Wyeth. Their styles are very different, and it’s usually easy to keep them separate when I’m photographing, except during a recent trip to the Brandywine Valley.

The Brandywine Valley is a scenic area in southeastern Pennsylvania and northern Delaware. Its landscape would be something the artists of the Hudson River School would have probably loved to paint if they had wandered down there. It was also the home turf of Andrew Wyeth, who spent much of his life painting the landscapes and people of the Brandywine Valley.

Coming to terms with these two different inspirations was the challenge when photographing the Brandywine Valley. The Hudson River School’s romantic view of the American landscape pulled me in one direction, while Andrew Wyeth’s unique color palette and unusual sense of composition inspired another.

As I wandered around the Brandywine Valley, I could almost feel the spirits of Thomas Cole, considered the founder of the Hudson River School, and Andrew Wyeth heatedly discussing what I was doing and what I should be doing. I asked ChatGPT to create this scene as an image.

 

Below is a mix of images that sometimes lean toward Wyeth’s inspiration, sometimes lean toward the Hudson River School, and, more than once, these two influences came to an agreement inside my imagination.

The Hagley Museum

We visited the Hagley Museum, which has the ruins of an old gunpowder factory. A light rain was falling, and there was a nice low mist on the Brandywine Creek. It was ideal scenery for the Hudson River School, but a bit of Andrew Wyeth’s spirit was present as well.

Hagley Ruins on Brandywine Creek by Richard Lewis 2026

 

Angles with Curve by Richard Lewis 2026

 

Wintertur

The Hudson River School artists often included people in their landscapes. They were usually participants who helped define the landscape, which was the main subject. In this photograph, the happy couple played a supporting role in one of Winterthur’s garden areas. Winterthur is a large mansion museum in Delaware surrounded by about 1,000 acres of gardens and open land.

Walking at Wintertur by Richard Lewis 2026

The Newlin Grist Mill Historic Site

Andrew Wyeth painted many of the old mills in the Brandywine Valley, but not the Newlin Grist Mill. Still, this place was a treasure trove of unusual compositional opportunities, and I could imagine Wyeth tapping me on the shoulder from time to time. The interesting glowing light from a rainy day also seemed to have caught the attention of Thomas Cole’s spirit. The images below are a bit more Wyeth, with a touch of the Hudson River School.

Newlin Grist Mill by Richard Lewis 2026

 

Wyeth at Newlin Mill Imagined by Richard Lewis 2026

 

Newlin Grist Mill Smoke House by Richard Lewis 2026

 

Newlin Grist Mill Interior by Richard Lewis 2026

 

Inspiration is important because, even though we blaze our own trails creatively, there are people who influence and inspire us. They can be like a map that helps us navigate the creative trail that we are on.

Enjoy!