A God in the Hearth (2013 – 2017)
During a residency program in eastern Oregon at Playa, Summer Lake, OR, I began a series of paintings exploring humanity’s deep connection to fire and its impact on the planet. Without fire we would not exist. Using fire we became like it, sweeping across landscapes and transforming them utterly. The hearth fire has always been at the center of human existence, but now our hearths are largely hidden in the form of engines and power plants. Instead of wood they burn fossil fuels. These hidden hearths and their hidden fires are changing the climate of this planet with possibly dire consequences for humanity.
This project was on display as a solo exhibition at the Art Center in Corvallis, OR (July 13 – August 21, 2017) and was accompanied by a printed catalog, made possible through a generous grant from the Oregon Arts Commission and the Ford Family Foundation.
To read my accompanying written essay on this subject go here
