this is the second half of a diptych, the first half is still drying, and may not be dry for a very long time. it is in the same style/media and inspired by images of the oil spill.

walnut oil, ink, oil pastels, and colored pencil on paper


spill/seed

on april 20th, 2010 an oil rig exploded in the gulf of mexico and caused a massive leak in an underground oil well. that leak has still not been plugged and has been pumping 5,000 gallons of oil into the ocean every day. this is the worst oil spill in history and will have catastrophic effects on our planet for years to come. in the midst of such chaos it is hard to remember to have hope and take action. alan ginsberg's poem, sunflower sutra, reminded me that beauty can grow out of disaster and destruction. humans must find a way to bring ourselves into balance with the natural world. we must remember that we are nature and live and grow with our planet instead of against it. humans are one of the worst natural disasters in the history of the earth, but we have the power to fix what we've done and heal from the massive wounds that we've inflicted. this is a struggle of priorities, action, and information, and it starts today with each of us.

-rae maltz