Very excited to be done with a series of paintings that I started a few months ago. The theme of the paintings is "contradictions." There is so much tension when two opposing forces collide. And with that collision comes a spark. An energy that can inspire action if the observer so chooses. The series is called Beautiful Contradictions.
Beautiful Contradiction #1; When the Levee Burst: The first of the series was inspired by the breach of the levees in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hit. The storm itself was a natural occurrence. We think of weather as unavoidable, in the natural plan, divinely ordered, although it is becoming harder to argue that human interference with weather patterns is not a factor. Issues of global warming aside, the true tragedy, in this case, occurred in that New Orleans was unprepared to weather the storm. The breach of the levees was inarguably avoidable. Did so many people need to have endured pain and even death? One can't help but think how much suffering could have been avoided had a different series of decisions been made regarding resource allocation for the levee system. I refer specifically to the fortification of the levee system surrounding the 9th Ward. Nothing captures that tension more than the moment that the levee burst. Inspired by that moment, will our policy makers make different decisions in the future? And even in the face of such tragedy, there are countless stories of the people of Louisiana and surrounding areas helping those in need. Herein lies the beauty; that even in the face of human failure, many people acted in love toward their fellow human beings.
Beautiful Contradiction #1; When the Levee Burst is my imagination of what that moment entailed.
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