For the past couple of years, the subject of much of my work has been informed by the rapidly changing natural environment, and the impact on migrating birds and other animals. These oil paintings are about a world out of balance. I hope my work raises questions.
I began this series with landscapes that I had experienced, and added evidence of human presence, “beach junk”, plastic soda bottles, discarded rubber gloves (from the fishing industry), pieces of rope, a tennis ball, branches, and a “doll’s head”. These artifacts are the remnants of things that have impacted the environment. In some images there are unknown organic forms or man-made constructions or objects with unknown functions. These forms may refer to “unseen” forces or obstacles that are in the world. The birds, often in pairs, negotiate through the challenging environments that have been altered by humankind. As the series evolved, I focussed more on changes in the climate which has encouraged life to migrate northwards: birds, humans, pollen, carbon dioxide, industry, tourism.
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