32" x 27" x 1"
I believe in the importance of listening to the quietest beings. Lichens have so much to teach us: they alert us to environmental disaster and show us how we can better take care of the wilderness and each other. My project uses painting and installation to share a story about climate change, migration, and Deep Time during a one year investigation of one of the Earth's most ancient and surprising organisms.
Since the start of the pandemic I’ve been making sculptural oil painted cut-outs of geologic forms covered in lichen textures. I carry these “organisms” with me as companions on my otherwise solitary nature walks and I film them in different landscapes. Lichen growth patterns and shifting colors alert us to changes in the environment. Even today, scientists use lichens to monitor air pollution levels and heavy metal concentrations. Lichens show us when we need to spend more time caring for the environment and for each other. I aim to understand these creatures in order to learn new methods of communication and connection.