ECOCIDE I

Ecocide – “destruction of the natural environment, especially when willfully done”

These works from the  Ecocide series derive from a  deep concern for our natural world; it is a commentary on unchecked consumerism, corporatism, and extractive industries – all of which are causing the destruction of the planet.

A spontaneous interplay between oil painting and collage drives the creation of this work. I depict man-made waste through collage and use traditional oil painting techniques for the contrasting natural landscape. These collaged detritus images are created from multiple layers of discarded magazines, newspapers, pumice, molding paste, and actual garbage, such as plastic bags.

In many instances, I draw inspiration from National Geographic and Scientific American Magazine. I source recognizable collage imagery from advertisements in Time and Life magazines from the 1950’s and 1960’s. This particular time period, when large-scale industrialization and suburban consumer culture were particularly romanticized, laid the groundwork for the major environmental problems we face today.

With my work, I attempt to understand human irrationality and the conflict between America’s throw-away society and the preservation of our environment. I am shedding light on the destructive practice of planned obsolescence – a practice that generates a detrimental amount of toxic electronic waste, which we then export to developing nations. In works like “Waves of Debris” I am depicting the reality of an ocean that contains more plastic and waste than fish – which scientists predict will happen in the year 2050.

With works like “Shoreline of Waste” I reference the aftermath of extreme weather events like Superstorm Sandy of 2012, one of the deadliest and most destructive hurricanes to hit the Atlantic coast, and one of the many extreme weather events in recent history that are a direct result of a warming climate. My paintings are environmental statements about the realities of climate in crisis.