Second Drawing in the Series is Completed

There are many steps in creating a drawing. It all starts with an idea that moves into a plan. The act of drawing is like taking a journey on the map you have found/created. Just like a real road trip, things happen along the way that were not expected. Some are good and some are bad, you have to roll with what happens. That's the way I feel about this image in particular. There were twists and turns that I felt were going down the wrong path but when I got there, I knew it was exactly where I wanted to be.

 

Primrose and Oregon Grape, 30"x30", mixed media on paper, 2023

These images are created as part of a series of images funded by the New York State Council on the Arts that celebrates/visualizes the connection of all life on Earth, the interdependency of each organism with all others.

What does that mean? This is not a new idea and has been expressed by innumerable cultures since the dawn of human awareness. My favorite expression of this concept is from 5th century BC Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu. He puts it this way. “Simply be aware of the oneness of things.” (Unknown Teachings of Lao Tzu Hua Hu Ching, translated by Brian Walker, Harper One.)

One image that really bring this home on a very basic level is the view of planet Earth from outer space. Certainly from that perspective we exist as a single entity. Not an image but a fact, we know trees have incredibly extensive root systems that intertwine as many as thousands of trees. We are connected by a common ancestor, by the oxygen we breath and so much more. Those may be some of the easier to grasp.

Why does this matter? Back to Lao Tzu. “When you perceive that an act done to another is done to yourself, you have understood a great truth.”
We live in a time of unprecedented mass extinctions, drought, fire and other life threatening (to us and other species) events. That should be a heads up!!

Join me in feeling these connections in your daily life and honoring them.