I've Been Called Out!

This is embarrassing to admit to: but recently a friend said she thought I wasn't being upfront enough. That I was keeping something unsaid. And after thinking about it more, I guess that was true.

She said that with my Summer 2017 Collection, 'Nature, Muted' I never really said specifically what was bothering me. Although I reiterated that I was concerned over environmental issues, I never claimed what those issues were in detail.

Okay, fair enough. 

What I will say is that much of it is a general uneasiness and feeling of helplessness when I see the continuing news reports about congressmen and government leaders refuting scientific claims and denying climate change. Like I want to do something more in some way, but I'm not necessarily sure what that is. 

Likewise, I'm getting a sense that people in general don't really want to hear about it or don't believe there's anything wrong with carving up/cutting down/fracking/and generally not trying to preserve nature for future generations. 

But why haven't I gotten more specific? To be honest, I think there's a bit of fear of alienating some people or offending someone with my opinions. It's a bit safer to stay on the surface of something right?

So here are two very specific things that occurred while I was in the process of creating this collection that had a direct effect on my mindset and work:

1. The March for Science ~ On Earth Day (April 22), there was a major march on Washington (and elsewhere around the globe) in support of science, scientists and scientific evidence. With proposed budget cuts looming, the non-partisan rally was intended to show lawmakers that scientific facts should play a key role in policy making. As my mom said: "Who would've ever thought we'd see the day where we have to speak up to defend scientists?" Right? Scientific method is how the laws of nature and the world are discovered; it's hard to wrap your head around the fact that someone wouldn't agree. Read More about the March

2. Strawberries - Okay, this one is super scary, especially as a pregnant person. There is a chemical, chlorpyrifos, which has been shown to "inhibit kids' brain development" (especially through exposure in utero). It has been banned in use in household products since 2000 but has still be used as a pesticide in farming (particularly on nuts and strawberries....two things I've been eating a ton of recently :/ ). In 2015, the EPA finally said that the risks were too high to continue using this chemical in farming, but they never went so far as to ban it. Recently, the courts said that the EPA had to make a decision. That decision was made in March 2017, when the EPA announced that they would not be banning the chemical and that it was fine to use. Well. The EPA cited disagreement with the methodology used in the studies that found that chlorpyrifos was too harmful. EPA Press Release and Other Commentary. There's gotta be a better way; this gets me really anxious.

Hopefully I haven't offended anyone too badly. I'm obviously not an expert in these matters, but my gut reactions are of fear and anger and wanting to do more. And that's basically it, in an organic nutshell.

xo

Arts Letters & Numbers Residency

This week I am living and working at Arts Letters & Numbers a multidisciplinary artist in residency program in Averill Park, NY, outside of Albany.

I took the train up from the city on Monday, rented a car and picked up two of my fellow residents: Ann from Estonia and Laerke from Denmark who are working on a theater piece that will open in Tallinn in September. We went to an AH-mazing food coop to pick up groceries for the week (in the extraordinary bulk goods section, they even had fill-your-own-jar of various maple syrups and honeys!!! I'm so jealous), before heading to The House on the Hill.

The old mill house has been repurposed into a retreat for artists from all disciplines, crossing over even into the world of math and science. There is an old mill on site that is being renovated into workshops, a darkroom and studios this summer.

Sunny living room and music salon.

Piano keys strung next to the staircase

Agnes' poetry workspace

My first day in the house, I met and began to know the other residents (read their impressive bios by clicking the link) ~ Ann and Laerke, Jess ( a photographer from Ohio), Allison (a video installation artist from Boston), Thomas and Agnes (cinematographer and poet from France), Dan (a composer from Australia), as well as Frida, an ALN fellow who runs the house logistics, and John, a community supporter.

We organized our stuff and got straight to the business of having a t party (that would be "t" as in tequila) and "a serious conversation" ~ a salon-style get-together at advisory board members Robert and Diane's home.

Robert with a tequila bottle in the tree house.

We gathered in their completely functional tree house with other local community advocates for snacks and a discussion of time, perspective, constructs, networks, technology and trees. While I refrained from the actual tequila part, I was fascinated by Robert's foray into topics well over my head (he's a retired physicist)....trying to translate some of the words into French for Thomas who was seated next to me.

They started their weekly Monday get-togethers to discuss the world's larger matters and to remove themselves from the quotidian stresses of high flying jobs. While friends have retired and departed the area, the ALN residents have backfilled to supply endless hours of new perspectives and conversation.

After the sun went down, Diane invited us into the main house for a dinner of soup, bread, cheese and wine and further conversation. I sat next to Robert and discussed the mindset of a collector (with which we both identify), the push and pull between virtual and actual reality and the ability of the virtual world to be a true and authentic reality (even though the feedback mechanism might be Twitter post "likes" instead of a reply letter), and building bridges between the natural cycles (circadian rhythms) and the manmade cycles of time (the clock) rather than trying to live fully in one realm or the other. Like I said....over my head.

Anyway, my plan this week (besides really pushing my philosophic brain cells) is to paint en plein air as much as the weather will permit, write and read for work and for pleasure, and work on fleshing out a series of paintings capturing the frustration and anger and resistance I'm witnessing in our culture at this time.

More from my time here to come I'm sure....