PERSONAL PROJECT

For my personal project i wanted to focus on something which i felt strongly about, deforestation in my area. I'm not a hippy, or a crusty vegan or anything, i just enjoy nature. I like having it around and being able engage with it. It bothers me to see large areas of forest cut down in areas of outstanding beauty which we have no real right to destroy, they have obviously been here a lot longer than us. I don't have a solution to the problem, and as an artist and a member of society i am actively part of the problem by using a great deal of paper and packaging. but if i was ever in a position where i could do something which would really make a difference i would. anyway, i was finding it hard to find a subject for my painting i was passionate about and this seemed obvious to me as it is very personal.

It's unfortunate i don't have any pictures of the mass logging by industry because they would illustrate my point perfectly...

The extent of some of the damage is quite a powerful sight.

An A3 sketch done in class inspired by the cross section books i used to enjoy as a child. i liked the way that trees show their age with rings in the trunk and how old some trees grow to live. For me, the natural next step was to personify it as an

"Old Timer".

Bit of a weird one..

So this painting was aimed at the folks who seem intent on ruining my local landscape. When thinking about what the painting should say i thought, what statement would i give to them on behalf of me and others who opposed? I wanted it to have a real slogan attached which people would recognise, light hearted yet punchy and serious about my point. So, armed with some bitten floyd lyrics and the usual tongue in cheek attitude which often follows me in my work i arrived at

"HEY! MISTER, LEAVE THEM TREES ALONE!"

i actually bit off a bit more than i could chew with this one as i left it 2 days before the deadline to start and it was a very ambitiously sized canvas, or at least bigger than i'm used to doing. 2 days of pain ensued but overall i feel alright with how it looks. i think the time limit actually made me work harder and i got a lot more done than i would do usually in the time. The finished painting is 16" X 40"