That's Where I Keep All My Stuff
Maybe the key to protecting the planet is connecting to what people are invested in - their own stuff. In the last blog post, I wrote about other public welfare campaigns that changed behavior. They used fear, guilt, shame, and grief to focus on the consequences of inaction. Starting a new year with hope and optimism, I wasn't ready to get in that headspace and wanted to focus on the hope, peace, and security that comes from taking action on climate change.
Use With Care
This first piece is a basic landscape - a forest of trees, fading into some mountains maybe. The gold lines are meant to evoke kintsugi - the Japanese art of repairing ceramics with gold lacquer. The message: We need to repair what we have. We can’t get a new one. Our planet is not disposable. We can’t go back to the way things were, but we can still make changes that protect our environment for future generations.
Catastrophic Decline
Inspired by a recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle about the decline of the monarch butterfly population, this multi-media piece also uses kintsugi. In one year, monarchs declined 86%. Since the 1980s, there has been a 97% decline. It’s likely we’ll see the extinction of monarchs in the next few decades if the causes aren't addressed: pesticides, herbicides, destruction of habitat, CO2 emissions.
A Shifting Environment
The third piece was inspired by another part of our ecosystem that is facing extinction: coral. Pantone named Living Coral the 2019 Color of the Year with this statement: Living Coral embraces us with warmth and nourishment to provide comfort and buoyancy in our continually shifting environment. In response, artists jack + huei proposed ‘Bleached Coral’ as the 2020 Color of Year. Following the theme of the other paintings, I created this multi-media impressionist coral painting with the same gold repair line.
On a personal level, creating art has been a powerful way for me to process my own role in climate change. As hopeless as it is to read 71% of carbon emissions are caused by a measly 100 companies, individuals CAN make a difference, and talking about it is the easiest way to bring about a change in public opinion. Share your concerns on social and with your friends, family, co-workers, and elected officials. Brag about ways you're helping the environment. Encourage action and shame indifference!
Thanks for reading - xo Jess