Planet in Peril

 The work in the Planet In Peril series reflects my concern about climate change.  From ancient times, The Four Elements have been a way to structure and understand our environment.  When The Four Elements, Earth, Air, Fire and Water, are in balance, our world is in balance.  This is clearly not the case nowadays.  The Planet in Peril series depicts what are now everyday occurrences:  fire, flood, drought, hurricanes and tornadoes. I decided to make my portrayals of these catastrophes as beautiful as I could, and to also to use unusual materials and techniques, so the viewer would be enticed into interacting with the work.  I want the viewer to respond to the beauty and then recognize the destruction.  In its own way, this series is a call to action.

Each mixed media work starts with a full scale drawing.  A forty year old copy machine is then used to transfer the drawing onto handmade abaca paper that has been painted with encaustic.  The transferred drawing is further enhanced with pan pastels and crochet thread.  Finally, a “frame” is fashioned from dyed and shaped canvas.  

Click images below for more information on each element