This summer my attention was focused on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill that occurred on April 20th and was not stopped until July 15th. The largest marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry was so overwhelming that it could not be ignored. I began researching aquatic plants and seaweeds that I found to be as fascinating as the medicinal land plants that have been the focus of my work for the last decade.
For the last two decades, the conflict between our mechanistic worldview and our relationship to nature has been the concern informing my work. As a child my father came close to death from exposure to DDT, making me aware at an early age of the health threatening methods used to grow our food crops. My first painting series acknowledging this conflict centered on the residues of herbicides and pesticides found in non-organic food crops and the myths that support man’s domination over nature.
This domination has become even more prevalent with GMO technology. Large corporations are gaining the power to control the food seed of entire nations or regions. During the time I was working on my Trangenetic Garden series, I developed a serious allergy to acrylic paint and decided to use watercolor and ink in my study of California indigenous medicinal plants. I was deeply moved by the beauty and power of these plants, and I began studying how indigenous societies made these plants central to their cultures. I also began researching the intricacies of shamanism, the world’s oldest healing tradition.
Eventually, I found an acrylic paint I could safely use, and so began the Tomol Crossing series during my sabbatical in 2005, focusing on the sacred medicinal plants and the shamanic practices of the Chumash people. A tomol is a unique plank canoe the Chumash built for traveling the Santa Barbara Channel. The tomol was also a metaphorical vehicle used by a shaman to enter and return from the spiritual realm. Shamanic healers believe that in order to survive seriously challenging situations, a part of the soul leaves the individual and takes refuge in another world in order assist in overall survival. However, this loss often results in illness. With the power to enter the other worlds, the shaman can retrieve the missing part of the soul needed to restore good health.
It is essential for a shaman to achieve inner balance in order to journey into the other worlds and to be an effective healer. Central to my interest in medicinal plants and shamanic practices is this element of balance. The paintings in the Tomol Crossing series and my current work reflect my interest in art's capacity for promoting states of equilibrium in which competing influences achieve a dynamic balance.
