The Arctic Circle

Originally published April 12, 2017

I can't contain my excitement any longer- I'm so happy to have the opportunity to say that I will be a part of an expedition to the Arctic in 2018. More details to come in the next couple of months!

Image: The Farm, Inc.

Image: The Farm, Inc.

You never know what you'll get in April

Originally published April 11, 2017

One of the first specific memories I have of being aware of the nuances of weather was one Easter Sunday when I was maybe 5 years old or so. My mom and grandma and I went to the Como Conservatory, and I was all dressed up in my pink Easter dress with matching pink bow in my hair.

On this single day, I remember seeing almost every form of weather - it rained, it snowed, was windy, then sunny... maybe even a rainbow thrown in for good measure. When I think of April in Minnesota, this is what I think of. 

You never know what you'll get. And, you might even get it all in one day.

Untitled Weather - No. 7, 2017, acrylic on canvas, 24" x 24"

Untitled Weather - No. 7, 2017, acrylic on canvas, 24" x 24"

It was experiences like this day, along with our everyday interaction with weather that inspired the Free Time paintings. Weather is a powerful form of our planetary system that makes us realize that we are intrinsically connected with this world. Cycles of water and atmosphere that nourish us and the land can also damage us as well. 

I'm fascinated by weather and look forward to observing it intently, not just in April. 

How do Americans feel about Climate Change?

The New York Times posted an article on March 21, 2017 that showed through a series of six maps that, in general, Americans believe that global warming is happening and that carbon emissions should be cut.

The article, "How Americans Feel About Climate Change, in Six Maps," was based on research done by Yale University in a 2016 study. Check out the full set of interactive maps here. The results are fascinating, and you can even see detail down to the state and county level.

I'm really interested to see if this study is done again and how Americans feel about climate change in 2017, if anything has changed.

Image: Yale Climate Opinion Maps - U.S. 2016, Link: http://climatecommunication.yale.edu/visualizations-data/ycom-us-2016/

Image: Yale Climate Opinion Maps - U.S. 2016, Link: http://climatecommunication.yale.edu/visualizations-data/ycom-us-2016/

The End of Nature

Originally published March 11, 2017

IMG_7667.JPG

Wisdom from 1989:

"We have changed the atmosphere, and that will change the weather. ... We must act, and in every way possible, and immediately."
- Bill McKibbin

This book is blowing my mind that it was written almost 30 years ago.

Creativity in Cold Climates

Originally published November 27, 2016

IMG_6995.JPG
The vital favor that determines social patterns, human preoccupations, and economic customs of those dwelling in different geographic environments depends on how cold it gets, not on how hot... The people who live in the colder areas are not more inventive— they simply have many more environment-caused occasions in which to employ all humans’ innate inventiveness.
— Buckminster Fuller

Art and Weather

Originally published December 10, 2016

Happy to be spending this beautiful, snowy day in the studio prepping work for my show at Artistry that opens next month. This work has surprised me a bit, and it is all about weather. This show, FREE TIME, was initially about a desire to spend substantial chunks of my time outside of work and the studio out in nature. But I came to discover during these hikes that the way I relate to the land around me is inseparably tied to the weather - what the sky is doing, as well as the larger anxiety over our changing environment. 

Atmosphere and Advocacy

Originally published November 11, 2016

IMG_6765.JPG

Jumping into research for an upcoming project on climate change and atmosphere. I may not be able to understand everything that's in this book, but I hope to at least learn some basics to share with the rest of the world. I can't imagine a more important time in our history for environmental advocacy, and I plan to fight like hell... through my art.

Has this week brought out the fighter or advocate in you? If so, how will you act on those impulses? 

Activism and Efficiency

Check out On Being's latest interview with Parker Palmer and Courtney Martin on activism, efficiency, self-reflection and burnout. I loved this discussion's energy and urgency of its content. How can we make the world a better place if we covet efficiency over sustainability?

Click here to read the full article and post On Being.