Why do I create paintings about pollution? it is my way of bringing it to the attention of others.
We have been polluting our environment for 250 years or so since the start of the Industrial Revolution.
Back then we had no idea of the damage we would do but we know now. Our very existence as a species is in jeopardy - this view is underwritten by the world's leaders and articulated by respected experts such as David Attenborough. But still our political leaders are slow to act, indeed one world leader of a vital nation is in denial.
I am protesting my way through my art. I am building a series simply called Paintings about Pollution. I am using surrealism and you can see here those painted so far. I try to explain my journey and inspiration along the way. Each painting is different but they are all motivated by my aim to make pollution of our planet - the effects - visible.
My paintings about pollution, that is polluting our planet began in a frivolous way. I was not really aware that it affected me deeply as I figure it does most of us.
Simply called "pollution" I enjoyed creating the almost happy shapes and adding a lot of colour. It was the beginning of my journey.
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The paintings about pollution were to become a series and this one, the second painting just sorta flowed. I had no intention of using all that red at the start but as it grew I figured only one colour could say what I wanted - red!
Only when I was finishing it did I sense some surrealism. I have always shunned surrealism, Dali never appealed and I think gave surrealism a bad name, but if it works then I am a surrealist!
This painting is called "Consequences" the effects of pollution on our lives.
Oh my red again! I have to say I just loved painting this one, sometimes I felt as if I was not in control particularly as the big red shape began to take the form of a foot...
the title for my third painting about pollution then became obvious...
"Carbon Footprint"
Surrealism is here again, do I care? No I am loving it!
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you may be interested to see another series of paintings that were inspired by a strong feeling. The artist visited Flanders in France and painted a series of World War One Paintings
On to the next pollution painting and this one is just packed with symbols and a sense of surrealism as the big red shape engulfs a city. I did enjoy painting it but the finished painting scares me as it is so real.
This painting is inspired by the same thing as the previous one - oil polluting and devouring our world. The large shape is reminiscent of a damaged butterfly and the large red circle is the burning sun
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And to the last one so far in my pollution paintings series -"At Your Peril" I painted this just as Trump pulled out of the Paris Accord to join Nicaragua and Syria in denial of global warming.