Saving the Arctic

Having just returned from a climate expedition to Svalbard and the Arctic Circle. Here I was confronted with such an extraordinary change in the place since I was last there. It has given me a newfound imperative to help those working to change humanity's leaders. I am not sure how this will manifest just yet, but as an artist, I will continue to make my art with a grounded story that acknowledges the time of rapid change we find ourselves living in.

During my trip, I continued my 'From the Bow' my daily drawing project. I am excited every time I travel on a vessel. It gives me a chance to explore my drawing in situ, taking me away from the day-to-day of life on the ship, and focus on what is ahead.

Each morning (usually around 6 am), I sit at the bow (or as close as I can get) and draw what is directly ahead. Drawing this view can be complicated, especially if the captain decides to change direction mid drawing, but that is part of the challenge.

On this journey, I felt that I wanted to extend my explorations at BigCi with cyanotypes and ice. So I brought along a series of prepared papers for a new small project that was easy to transport. For the ice, I wanted to use glacial ice. The fast-melting glaciers have a time memory, and I wanted to capture this memory of water and time in my paper. As the ice melted on the cyanotype, it embedded part of its story in the paper's fabric. I used different time exposures to reflect on what is a time of change from 'deep time' to 'contemporary time'.

At home, I have continued to be inspired through drawings and paintings as I work on my ideas in the studio…