Home, 2024, Oil on Canvas, 6ft by 4.5ft ‘Home’ represents my personal relationship with my childhood home and the environment. The background is a distorted memory: butterfly milkweed, a native species planted in our yard, blossoms in the foreground. The prominent white textured writing reads “Home” copied from a note from my mom. Our concept of home changes and shifts as we enter relationships and move onto different chapters of our lives, though, key themes linger.
Chlorophyll, 2022, Acrylic, 10" by 10" Chlorophyll, a pigment found in chloroplasts, allows plants to photosynthesize, creating energy from sunlight. Plants, also known as producers, are our life source. Due to their infinite sources of power, plants exist at the the bottom of every trophic cascade. This abstraction of a non specific plant species channels that unique power and beauty.
Moon Rise, 2022, Acrylic, 10" by 10" This abstraction of waves and the moon is representative of hope for the future of our natural world. The moon, a small crescent on the horizon, has a colossal impact. The power and beauty within nature can inspire us to take action to create a more harmonious balanced world.
Body, 2022, Acrylic, 36" by 36" Human bodies are deeply intertwined with the environment and nature. Our bones and bodies are made of carbon like most of the matter on earth. The earth is 71% water; our blood (represented in red) is made up of 90% water. The water flows between us and the oceans. Every resource is shared, we are fundamentally part of the planet.
Oil Spill, 2021, Acrylic, 10" by 10" This piece is an abstraction of an oil spill, the toxic bright colors swirling around on the surface of water teeming with poison. Oil spills, extremely difficult to control, wreak havoc on the environment and its inhabiting species. I created an ironically soothing quality to represent the slow reaction of humans to and energy corporations to jump into action to clean up oil spills.
Manta Ray (Mobula alfredi), 2021, Acrylic, 6” by 6” A Keystone Species is an organism that plays the critical role of maintaining balance in an ecosystem. If a keystone species were removed, the ecosystem would dramatically change for the worse. Climate change and human impact are having a profound influence on the vitality of keystone species worldwide. This series intends to raise awareness and shed light upon their importance. Manta rays (Mobula alfredi) are surface and deep ocean keystone species. They regulate ecosystem diversity, plankton abundance and help control nutrient cycling. This Manta Ray is cresting from the deep ocean up to the surface–their diving behavior and feeding practices establish an invaluable ecological connection between the deep sea and surface ocean.
Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris), 2022, Acrylic 36" by 36" Sea Otters (Enhydra lutris) are considered keystone species of marine ecosystems due to their role as predators at the top of the trophic cascade. Sea Otters eat sea urchins, keeping the sea urchin population low enough for kelp forests to thrive. Healthy kelp forests support the ecosystem biodiversity. Sea Otters are responsible for maintaining the balance within these symbiotic relationships.
Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos horribilis), 2021, 6ft by 4.5ft The Grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) is a keystone species in addition to being a top predator. They fulfill their symbiotic role behaving as ecosystem engineers– regulating fish and prey populations, they also fertilize forests and disperse seeds that get caught in their fur.
Caribbean Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber), 2021, 11" by 14" Flamingos are keystone species in tropical wetland environments and serve the important role as population regulators. This Caribbean Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) fulfills this role by eating crustaceans, shrimp and other species in the ecosystem, preventing them from overpopulating.
Ruby-Throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris), 2022, 36" by 36" Hummingbirds are keystone species across the Eastern U.S and Canadian forests found where there are flowering plants because they are adept pollinators. The keystone mutualism between plants and pollinators holds habitats in balance, providing food for the rest of the ecosystem.
Native Species under the microscope, 2021, Watercolor, 18" by 10" Thich Nhat Hanh once said “When we look deeply at a flower, we can see the whole cosmos is contained in it.” I felt this while observing these plant specimens I collected in Northern Michigan. These samples were painted while looking at them through a microscope allowing the eye to see aspects of the plant's anatomy in high detail.
This handmade Florilegium book was made to raise awareness of the native plant species that inhabit the Great Lakes region and the non-native invasive species that compete with them. The inside of the book features an overview of the landscape geography of the region. Progressing from lakeshore to wetland, prairie then to forest. On the back of each corresponding panel is a native and non-native plant species that compete with each other for resources.
Emerald Ash Borer, 2022, Natural Walnut Oil Paint on Canvas, 12" by 24" Emerald Ash Borers are a small greenish blue beetle native to North-East Asia. They were introduced to the United States via wood from a shipping crate in 2002. The invasive female Emerald Ash Borers lay eggs in the bark crevices of ash trees, and the larvae feed underneath the bark of ash trees, damaging the integrity of the trees leaving a swirly pattern in the bark. The ash borers emerge as adults in one to two years, often killing the trees in the process. Emerald Ash borers are devastating the Black Ash populations across the United States. Not only does this invasive species cause environmental destruction but it is also threatening cultural heritage. Generations of indigenous weavers have utilized Black Ash, with its sturdy, flexible wood, as a material to weave into beautiful baskets. These Black Ash Baskets are socially significant and provide a vital source of income. This piece was created using hand mixed natural oil paint made from minerals and walnut oil.
Native and Non-Native Plant Species of the Great Lakes Region, Hand-made Florilegium Book, 2021, Watercolor, 8” by 40” Regions and Plant Species Featured: Lake Michigan Lakeshore (Pitcher's Thistle and Baby’s Breath), Wetland (Broadleaf Cattail and Purple Loosestrife), Prairie (Common Milkweed and Black Swallow-wort), and Forest (Trillium and Buckthorn)
Coral vs. Ocean Acidification Healthy Coral (Pre Acidification), 2022, Acrylic on Canvas, 36" by 48" Coral reefs are the rainforests of the sea, representing a diverse three-dimensional habitat, they support 25% of all marine life. Corals also shelter shorelines from rising sea levels, erosion and storms and are also critical life sources for indigenous coastal communities. Overfishing, climate change, and subsequent coral bleaching and ocean acidification events threaten coral reef survival.
Coral vs. Ocean Acidification Bleached Coral (Post Acidification), 2022, Acrylic on Canvas, 36" by 48" This series represents the negative impact climate change and carbon emissions are wreaking on our coral reefs. As ocean water warms, corals are expelling the algae (zooxanthellae) living in their tissues, causing coral bleaching. While corals can survive a bleaching event, they suffer stress from these events and have a higher risk of mortality. With coral bleaching, ocean acidification –or the subsequent drop in seawater pH as the ocean is absorbing carbon dioxide–is also occurring. This results in a reduction of the availability of calcium minerals for corals to build and repair their reefs.
Solar Gain, 2015, Oil Pastel, 18" by 36" This piece reflects on our relationship with renewable energy sources. The Solar Panels themselves reflect a hopeful, clean, renewable future. The sky behind represents the ominous consequences of fossil fuels. Submitted as a part of a city wide Art Prize Smart Art Competition in 2015 ‘Solar Gain’ won 5th place.
Resilience, 2016, Oil Pastel, 16" by 24" Robust foliage overpowering the roundabout sign represents the resilience of the environment. Despite our cyclical anthropocentric actions exhausting the earth's resources, nature is resilient. Ultimately we will decide whether or not we heed the warning, reflect and transition to a more sustainable world. The planet will survive without us, but we cannot survive without the planet.