Watershed is a continuation of the Map Paintings, with a specific focus on the people and the landscape along the Grand River.  The project explores the turning points in people’s lives in relation to their physical environment: watershed moments within one river’s watershed.  A lifeguard’s account of saving a girl’s life, a believer’s account of baptism, and a young couple on the cusp of a new relationship are just a few of the narratives Irish draws from the river.  In Watershed, the river is cast as a metaphor for transformation and renewal - an essential way of looking at our evolving landscape today.