As I sit patiently on our back deck this strangely warm morning, trying to capture our backyard wildlife for reference, I’m reminding of our modern habitat. Squirrels, blue jays and chickadees are foresting through our mini-ecosystem on one side while the sounds of cars rushing and planes overhead echo from the front yard. A divide of nature and technology.
Some of my artwork features a diagonal line, from corner to corner and that is what it represents. Nature/Technology. Old/New. Advantage/Disadvantage. A skewed horizon between earth and the heavens. No answers, but rather an attempt at depicting the questions of coexistence. What is nature? What is natural? Humans are of course a part of nature and we were given, or we evolved, to develop tools and eventually machines to make survival much easier for us. But at what cost? Have humans gone too far? Is there a line in the sand? Ironically, I’m writing this on a machine that has it’s own ecological and ethical footprint. However, technology has allowed for great advances concerning the plight of nature. I paint using water-miscible oils (no need for toxic turpentines, paint thinners, etc.) I use hemp (a far superior fiber that is fast growing, stronger than cotton and extremely sustainable) for my canvases when available. And I hand build my stretchers and wood panels from FSC certified wood which promotes environmentally sound practices of the world’s forests.
While asking these questions through my work I hope to bring awareness. I think awareness is key, so that we don’t take our modern conveniences and the processes is took to obtain them, for granted.
