Drawings
Gone by 2050
2005, Graphite on Paper, Life Size, 7.5' x 11'. United States Embassies Collection, Moscow, Russia
In 2004, I reviewed scientific papers concluding that the Arctic could be ice-free by the summer of 2050. Standing face to face with a polar bear in captivity, I could not help but wonder at their enormous and imposing size (the largest land carnivore), their massive furred feet, their curiosity about my presence, and their precarious future.
Mercury, Water, PCB, DDT
2007, Graphite on Paper, Life Size, 9’ x 9’.
This life-size drawing of a beluga whale was drawn solely with the chemical molecular structure of persistent toxins found in the whale’s water home, the St. Lawrence River estuary. These mammals have some of the highest cancer rates in the mammalian world. Further upstream, the Great Lakes provide drinking water to 8.5 million people.
Installation at the 2020 McMaster Museum of Art, Hamilton, Ontario. Curated by Tracy McDonald. Photo courtesy of the McMaster Museum of Art.
Detail: Mercury, Water, PCB, DDT
Every 20 minutes. Graphite on Paper
The first drawing in this series was completed in 3h and 15 minutes. Each subsequent drawing’s length of allowable time to complete is reduced by 20 minutes, the rate at which some scientists say we are losing a distinct plant or animal species.
2h 58 min
2h 38 min
2h 18 min
1h 58 min
1h 38 min
1h 18 min
58 min
38 min
18 min