A Few More Images

Here's a few more images of recent drawings before I devote myself almost exclusively to Australia-related posts for the next month (I leave tomorrow!)

History of the World

Mt. Mound

Orb

Missing

Mist

Some Drawings and Thoughts

Here's a few drawings I've done this year (below).

A few things seem to be converging with my work, my thinking and my upcoming Australia trip. I've frequently thought that my work is as much about my internal world as the external, natural world. I'm interested in this relationship, not just between the external and internal, but the specifically external natural world and how my relationship to it affects my psychology. Until recently, I never gave much thought to whom else might have investigated this issue. But I finally did wonder about this and happened upon Paul Shepard, who is considered one of the founders of a field called ecopsychology, which is still very mysterious to me. His most influential book is Nature and Madness. The fundamental theme behind his writing is our alienation from nature and its psychological impact. I'm sure I'll be revisiting this in greater detail in the future.

Fade

Landscape

Here's a snapshot of a recent little (9"x12") drawing. It's a return to some work I was doing in Philadelphia.

It's been awhile since I've spent any time outdoors...since Portland in mid-December. I decided during that trip that I needed more time outdoors, that it was essential for my well-being, though I haven't been great at doing this since then. One thing I remember from Land Arts was how differently things became prioritized. No more 24-hour news, reality TV, traffic, etc. Every day was an adventure and every day was also very basic -- we had to make sure we had enough food and water, and if we didn't, we needed to make plans. Not quite the same, though, as when you need groceries in a city or town and you can just run to the store in 5 minutes. Supplies could be hours away if we didn't plan accordingly. This kind of distance from the hustle and bustle of the world of people was refreshing.

There's so much going on in the world of people that it's easy to miss things that are worth while. Things seem to move fast beyond comprehension, yet time strangely appears never to change. The seasons are myths that don't really affect us. We can get any kind of food we want regardless of the time of year. Exploring your physical surroundings seems odd and senseless when you have a car to go places and so much to do online.

I know that with every change, something is always given up. Our relationship to the natural world is very strange now. I find this compelling. And I believe that part of the reason why I have felt so alienated in my life is because of my alienation from the natural world.