I never used to think of myself as a dystopian artist, my work has often been hopeful even whimsical, seeking out the beauty in our world despite the havoc we as humans reap upon this earth. But as the results of our pillage of the planet have become more dire, I have begun to imagine the possible bleakness in our future. What if we stand by and continue to allow the status quo to proceed, to pump infinite amounts of carbon into the atmosphere, spray life threatening chemicals upon our food sources and wipe out more species every year? What if we make large swaths of the planet uninhabitable? What if water dries to a trickle in places with once abundant flow? What if we kill all the bees and butterflies? What if GMO food requiring only hand-pollination becomes the norm? What if all the flowers die? Like so many, I have a deep love, fascination and connection to the natural world and I am haunted by this potential.
Recently, I began a small series of cages, protective armor, shields,enclosures meant to protect that which lies inside their confines. This sculpture is entitled Keeper of the Last Garden and is an examination of how we might proceed to protect the flowers of a garden that no longer grows anew. If only the vestiges of past blooms remain, crumbling, brown, shriveled, how might we protect these once wonders? Will we build corrals for them to ward off further destruction? How will we remember the possible beauty of what was? Is there a way to highlight the stunning hues of a flower in her fullness of life when her vibrant spirit has flown? Using salvaged wood from an urban park and island driftwood, a dried peony from last summer and my grandmother's needlepoint yarn, I am attempting to preserve and recreate the beauty of this no longer vital flower.