This is another piece where I was again thinking about reciprocal relationships and that we are all connected. In a world that is so divided right now, it’s hard to even want to maintain relationships. To be honest, I really don’t, right now, at this moment. It’s hard to trust those that seem to want to destroy progress towards a more just and equitable world. However, if I look at nature, I see that the natural world is comprised of systems that depend on each other to live and grow in the continuous cycles of living on this planet.
An example is the mycelial network in which tiny fungal threads wrap around the roots of trees and connects individual plants together to transfer water, nitrogen, carbon and other minerals. These networks also help the plants “communicate” to each other, sometimes warning of infestation or some other kind of stressor. It is fascinating. Another simple example is one that people talk about often which is the role of the pollinators in our food system. The bees and other pollinating creatures help the plants reproduce as they go about their business collecting nectar. If we keep spraying our yards and killing the pollinators, we are literally hurting not just ourselves but the whole ecosystem. Or if you’ve stepped foot onto a trail in the temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest, the intertwining systems of life and decay is so apparent by all your senses.
I have received several private messages from artists in different countries that I have “met” through the years through my art, expressing the fears over what transpired this week here as well as to offer comfort. As bad as the internet can be, it is amazing how we are able to form connections with people scattered around this big planet. And it’s lovely that is through our art. And of course, the artists that I am often connected to, we are connected because our art are often love notes to the natural world.
I’ve just been thinking about that because I think now more than ever it is important to find community based on the things and principles and people that we love and want to protect. This painting, Ancient Conversations, just arrived in Scotland to live with an artist there. That makes me happy. Art can be a thread that connects and cultivates community as well as dialogue. This is something I really need to keep in mind these days where I want to just hibernate from the world.