Lifeblood Painting

This piece is inspired by the delicate balance between mankind’s desires and nature. It’s curious that we imagine ourselves to have dominion over nature, not quite part of it, yet we are very much so. What happens to and in nature will always reflect back on us eventually. This is a concept which needs to become far more embedded in our psyches than it currently is. Presently, despite the urgency of the situation, the destruction of nature, and the ultimate destruction of ourselves, is not in our consciousness in any meaningful way. We do tiny, largely ineffective things to help, as the situation continues to worsen. Our desire for pleasure has been played upon so much that we are addicted to acquiring more and more, while our basic needs and our symbiosis with nature go unnoticed. Even when we become aware the issue, we seem to believe that nature may suffer, but we won’t, in any serious way. At least, not in the ‘developed’ world. But the converse is the case. Nature will eventually tire of us and we’ll disappear, and nature can rebalance itself. In this way our inability to see the true picture drives us to keep consuming and destroying our own home. This painting, made entirely of pure wool, using the techniques of wet and needle felting, is a metaphor for this wrangle, in the hope that imagery may find a way to go deeper than words. The figure is wrapped around with growth, which looks like an adornment, but reveals our true state as part of all life. The title of the painting refers to the small areas of blood that are revealed on close inspection, not in the face but in the plant. I wanted the blood to be minimal and not immediately obvious or copious. This seems to be what we see in nature. Small fissures which aren’t too serious. But that is not the reality. The lifeblood of nature, and therefore our own, is beginning to seep and to flow, and once it gets beyond a certain stage will become irreversible. I live right in the middle of abundant nature. Here, it’s impossible to see yourself as more important than nature, or outside it in any meaningful way. Perhaps it’s the fact that so many live in urban areas which enable much of humanity to ignore the realities of life. But it’s important, and it matters. We lose our awareness of being part of nature at our peril.

Painting:Fabric on Soft (Yarn, Cotton, Fabric)

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:17.3 W x 21.3 H x 0.8 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.