Transformation: Climate
The cycle of climate paintings I am currently working on, based on water, fire, earth, and air, is the culmination of my series about migration. "Who am I?” has become “What is my moment?” The historical moment we all share is an extraordinary one. The climate crisis threatens all life on earth, while solving it presents the possibility of global transformation to a just and equitable world. The stakes have never been higher: the dangers have never been greater, and the possibilities have never been more magnificent.
The arc of my family resides within the greater arc of time. WWII shaped my grandparents, the seeming bubble of security after the war shaped my parents, and my life has been, and continues to be, shaped by the double threat of nuclear destruction and climate crisis. At the same time, our moment offers the possibility of remaking the world in a way that sustains every life.
My language of a seamless world of people, animals, and place is the language of this interconnection. Like the environment, every painting is a web of nesting, interlocking relationships, a unity in which nothing can be added or removed without everything being different. Climate crisis is the ultimate illustration of the powerful truth that we are all in it together--- and that we includes not just humanity, but every living thing on earth.
Our culture’s denial of our interconnectedness with all life has resulted in the destruction of our planet. At the same time, realizing and acting on this truth gives us the opportunity to save it. My job as a painter is to create paintings that speak about this existential dilemma in a language personal enough for people to hear it. My job as an art worker is to work use these paintings to inspire people to action. It is to connect people to themselves and each other, so that each person can find their place in the mass movement that will be necessary to create a sustainable future. In this way, it is my hope and intention that my paintings will become part of the great web of healing I firmly believe can save our planet.