Herculean Task

 One of the most difficult things if for people to suspend disbelief.

  

PRICKLY SUBJECTS

 If you really think the environment it less important than the economy,

try holding your breath while you count your money.     - Guy McPherson

  

The mat is decorative but uncomfortably sharp, a constant reminder that the children in the future will need to deal with the prickly subject of how to deal with the pollution we have created.

This painting is asking you to think about the prickly subjects, firstly: how selfish can we be? 

If we leave the skies polluted and ignore all the other environmental problems - because they are too difficult to fix - what quality of life are we bequeathing our children?

The world is suffering.

Consume less - consume better.

The Gloves are Off

 Predatory climate deniers, are a threat to our children    - Richard Flanagan

Well go down in history as the first society that wouldn't save itself because it wasn't cost effective.

 

Too often the adverse changes in the world are ignored or denied. In this age of rapidly melting glaciers, terrifying megafires and ever more puissant hurricanes, of acidifying and rising oceans, it is hard to believe that any further prod to climate action is needed.

But the reality is that we continue to live in a business-as-usual world. Our media is filled with enthusiastic announcements about new fossil fuel projects, or the unveiling of the latest fossil-fueled supercar, as if there’s no relationship between such things and climate change.

In Australia, the disconnect among our political leaders on the deadly nature of fossil fuels is particularly breathtaking.

Each year the situation becomes more critical. Global emissions of greenhouse gases rise while the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere jumps.

No climate report or warning, no political agreement nor technological innovation has altered the ever-upward trajectory of the pollution. This simple fact forces me to look back on the past 20 years of climate activism as a colossal failure.

In this painting the two bird/children can't connect.

They sit on a plastic mat, holding plastic tubing and they glare, with mouths firmly shut.

The crop is a monoculture.

Hills' are barren.

A storm is brewing.

One lone bird remains in the sky, wary and unsure.

 

Your turn.Your choice.

 It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent,

but the one most responsive to change.    -   Charles Darwin

 

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

Without a sound ecology there is no economy, and then what the F*** could you buy?

 

Plasticized and digitized, selfish and disconnected. 1800 brands of laundry detergent, and a yearly $107.4 billion 'worth' of games and toys a year.

We have surrounded ourselves with a hundred thousands years of non-biodegradable plastics.

Shopping at our local supermarket, a good 100KM from the ocean, a flock of seagulls were scavenging for scraps. Making me reflect on all the countries around the world where the seas have been denuded of sea life and plastics are prevalent.

A trip to our local dump and it was horrifying to see all the waste. So much landfill being dug down into good rural soil. Above, a regal eagle was looking to scavenge a meal. So very sad!

In this painting there is a storm brewing.

The mat supporting these two is made of cheap Chinese imported plastic.

The game of chess is  rigged. Neither can win.

The umpire in the background is small and voiceless. 

The line represents the principle of duality, or the law of opposites.

Economy vs ecology.

Commission - 1984 Bougainville, PNG IMPACT STUDY

                         

  

Transferring an old Blog across to here so that my work is together in one space.

Commission - 1982-1984   IMPACT STUDY

Since 1972, The Copper and Gold mine at Panguna, Bougainville, Papua New 
Guinea, majority-owned by Rio Tinto has produced billion's of tones of mine waste 
tailings that they release into the Jaba and Kawerong rivers. 

Every day, arable land downstream from the mine is covered by polluted waste,

resulting in contamination, erosion, land destruction, food shortages, and illness.
	
A group of concerned business men and dedicated citizens, including our friend 

Mr. Carolus Ketsimur,( politician, journalist, businessman, jazz man,)approached me 

to produce a series of eight works, in response to viewing the devastation.

	These works were to be hung in the reception room at the  recently established

        Department of Environment and Conservation.  
	The functions of the department of Environment and Conservation include:
Environmental impact assessment,
pollution control,
management of waste,
Conservation of flora and fauna,
biodiversity assessment and data management,
Hydrological investigation, data collection and analysis,
Education and awareness.

Initially I was excited, I love any excuse to travel by air. 

During the first part of the journey I looked out of the helicopter, and  the 

environment was stunning. The majority of the jungle we traversed, from Buka to 

Kieta, looked in good health. The ocean was clear, the Islands and reefs were

mesmerizing. However as we approached and travelled over Loloho, Kieta and 

Panguna the land transformed into humming hives of urban activity. 

When we hovered over the open cut mine I was struck by the sheer size. It is
a 4 km diameter hole, with an estimated reserve of one billion tonnes of ore copper 
and twelve million ounces of gold. Impressive!

However, as we travelled from the mine down the Jaba-Kawerong river, 
I felt like I was traversing a gaping wound. Red, green, grey and unnatural blue 
tailings stretched almost 40km downstream to the coast, and on it's journey the 
damage on the 38 villages, with an estimated population of 14,000 people, is
obvious.

Looking at the psychedelic moon-scape I wondered how anyone managed to 
access clean water? And I Immediately understood the health impacts: skin diseases, 
diarrhea, respiratory problems  and pregnancy complications. Couldn't see how
fish survives, vegetation grew or people flourished? It was obvious that this 'sludge' impacted the health, economy, social and cultural 
rights of these communities.

Flying at approximately 400 - 500 ft, with the helicopter door wide open, I could 

see a lot of details. I noted: land destruction, build up of tailings, flooding, lack of 

clean  water, landslides, collapsing levies, copper contamination, treacherous river 

crossings, destroyed gardens and ailing forests.

My first step was a series of drawings.

The 8 paintings are my visual record from this single sighting. They are a

response to the violation of human rights and unbelievable, environmental damage.

Pastel -  Oil on canvas   24inches x 24 inches