Urbanscapes 2014-2016
Urbanscapes portray Gowanus, Brookyn as a “green” landscape. I attempt this by merging natural aspects of the past with present day and future imagery; marsh grasses superimposed over parking lots and green roofs adorning current infrastructure. By using a panoramic format with a saturated blue and green palette and by largely depicting sky and water I offer a wider and more natural perspective on a cityscape that is more typically defined by its streets, industry, and people.
It's easy to forget there's a natural landscape beneath the concrete and that many species of plants and animals inhabit our parks, waters, and skies. By highlighting the landscape I hope this series will remind us of the former and existing New York City landscape while promoting the "re-greening" of cities. In consideration of the climate and biodiversity crisis it seems crucial to incorporate greater swaths of nature into the built environment for the health and well being of all its inhabitants.
Acknowledgments: This series evolved during a six monht residency at Brooklyn Art Space (now Trestle Art Space) with Christina Kelly in 2015 and was originally inspired by several sources including; the Gowanus Canal Conservancy, specifically their large scale public banner project, Making Gowanus by, Andrea Parker, Alexia Donati, Julia Price, and Gina Wirth. It was also inspired by Eric Sanderson’s Mannahatta, both he and Markley Boyer’s illustrations encouraged me to envision the New York City landscape as pristine land abounding with a diverse array of plant and animal species. Eymund Diegel, map maker extraordinaire, helped “flesh out” the Gowanus pre-concrete landscape and shorelines. I was also inspired and influenced by urban naturalist, Gabriel Willow who educates about birds in and around New York City.
The panoramas (18" x 36") can be framed separately or fit together as triptychs (18" x 108")
Energyscapes 2015
Energyscapes were commissioned by the company Pangea. Their intention was to use the images for their product to educate people, specifically of high school and college age, about renewable energy sources. My job was to illustrate each of these 12 renewable energy sources. These are imagined landscapes based on views I've seen throughout my travels in New York State. I went on to incorporate some of these into my Urbanscapes which depict past, present, and future versions of Brooklyn, NY.
