Natalie adorns all sides of her mannequins with tactile surfaces using modelling paste, gesso and found objects. At first glance her exquisite composites made with utilitarian parts — such as coins, chains, fabric, buttons and other humble items — appeal to us for their aesthetic value alone; however, we learn they also ignite powerful emotional reactions.

Natalie unearths a treasure trove of poignant messages with profound impact. Her highly-charged sculptures represent a unique archetype and expand our conscious awareness about the environment, female issues, relationships, diversity, and other complexities about our life choices and experiences.

Objects such as scissors, buckles, and bolts that she adheres to the sensual torsos arouse associations with abrasion, separation, pain and loss. Items such as zippers and locks may signify feelings about unresolved issues. Thoughts of unfulfilled desires, unspoken words, and unfinished deeds from the past that we may have buried and locked away rise to the surface.

We identify with Natalie’s forms because she resuscitates discarded objects and memorabilia and converts inanimate objects into timeless, universal stories. Her works of art have pulsating hearts and the power to heal. As we succumb to their messages we confront our human frailties, vulnerabilities, flaws and fears. Her sculptures serve as catalysts to embark upon our quest for personal growth and deepen the process of positive transformation.

Visit Natalie Oliphant’s website natalieoliphantart.ca

Read an article that features Natalie in “Creative and Eco-Conscious Artists Who Use Recycled Materials”.

This Art Review was written by Renee Phillips, Director and Curator, Manhattan Arts International and The Healing Power of ART & ARTISTS, New York, NY

If you are an artist and would like me to write an Art Review
please visit  “Art Reviews for Artists”

]]> https://www.healing-power-of-art.org/eco-artist-natalie-oliphant-transforms-recycled-materials-into-life-affirming-sculptures/feed/ 0 https://www.healing-power-of-art.org/special-recognition-art-award-winners-daisy-crane-melanie-pruitt-and-ruth-soller/ https://www.healing-power-of-art.org/special-recognition-art-award-winners-daisy-crane-melanie-pruitt-and-ruth-soller/#comments Sat, 21 Jan 2023 17:13:13 +0000 https://www.healing-power-of-art.org/?p=25847 As the curator of “The Healing Power of ART Inspired By NATURE” 2023 juried exhibition it is an honor and pleasure to present this Featured Article with three powerful Special Recognition Art Award Winners Daisy Crane, Melanie Pruitt and Ruth Soller. Their unique personal qualities and perception complement their artistic skills and career achievements. They bring a transformative impact to our lives through their art. These are are few of the many reasons why deserve to receive your special attention and acknowledgement.

Daisy Crane has a unique and powerful style and perception. Her determination to educate, inspire, and raise awareness about our environment is remarkable. Melanie Pruitt creates joyful nature-inspired works of art. She is also living proof that personal strength and creating art has  a powerful healing impact. Ruth Soller is renowned for her breathtaking, award-winning paintings that celebrate the national parks and Western landscapes and also brings a visceral experience to viewers.

Daisy Crane Creates Powerful Visual Stories That Raise Our Awareness

Daisy Crane has a multifaceted background that contributes to her significant role as an artist with a purpose. She earned her BA and BFA from the University of Kansas in 2018, she was the Program Evaluator for Imagine Center of Conflict Transformation in 2019, and she is a co-author of “Addressing the Environment-Peace Nexus,” Peace Review, 2021. She completed her MA in Peace and Justice at the University of San Diego in 2020 and has since focused on combining her background in peace studies with her art practice.

When she submitted images of her extraordinary oil paintings to “The Healing Power of ART Inspired By NATURE” 2023 Exhibition she provided this statement: “My paintings are visual stories that question the ways we deny, adore, and/or ignore the materials that define our lives and futures. In the end, my paintings search for the beauty of creation, joy, reciprocity and balance even in the face of climate collapse.”

For her painting “Found Myself in the Rocks” she used eco-friendly gesso, water-based oils, and no harmful solvents or pigments.

You will find a treasure trove of insightful art and writings on Daisy’s website and social media pages. She has written “My work explores the ways human-made and natural materials interact with our environmental, spiritual, and cultural landscapes. From micro to macro, liquid to solid, hard to soft, human to non-human — each element exists in an entangled world where order, categories, and binaries are blurred into an all-over composition full of bustling life and energy. Organic and rigid textures work together in order to discuss the tension between universal interdependence and the existence of nondecomposable materials that disrupt ecological timelines, systems, and spaces.”

Visit Daisy Crane’s website: daisycrane.art

Melanie Pruitt Inspires and Empowers Us With A Joyful Positive Spirit

Melanie Pruitt creates vibrant, calming watercolors that convey a positive spiritual energy and life force. She celebrates her deeply felt reverence and discoveries in the natural world. The artist exudes, “When I walk through a garden, I don’t just see the garden, I feel the garden! From the stillness of the rainforest to the playful wildlife on my island home, nature touches me and changes me. My paintings are saturated with these experiences and feelings.”

Melanie knows firsthand about the healing power of art and shares a life-altering experience. She shares, “I have been a creative person all my life, but I didn’t really understand that because so much of my creativity came in the form of physical movement. In 2001 a virus left me with a post-infectious chronic illness taking away my physical abilities. This led me to the wonderful discovery of my creative self in painting. I began with watercolor and still love the exciting dance between water and paint.”

Melanie began selling her artwork in 2005 and has many admirers and collectors have grown. You will find Melanie’s artwork currently represented by One Gallery and Banyan Gallery, both in Hilo, Hawaii and Volcano Garden Arts located  in Volcano, Hawaii.

It is a pleasure to have selected her uplifting painting “Enchanted Garden” for “The Healing Power of ART Inspired By NATURE” 2023 Exhibition.

Melanie shines a beacon of light for us all to follow and explains, “My greatest hope is that, as you explore my website, my art and the stories behind it will touch you personally today. I am passionate about the struggles people are currently facing, and the need for each of us to reach out to one another in love and compassion.”

Visit Melanie Pruitt’s website: melaniepruittart.com

Ruth Soller Shares The Awe-Inspiring Magic of The Natural World

Ruth Soller has a remarkable talent to illuminate the powerful intrinsic beauty of nature and deliver a visceral experience to viewers. Her awe-inspiring paintings have earned many accolades including Awards of Excellence from Manhattan Arts International.

Her painting “Bluebird Sky Walden Pond” is a perfect addition to “The Healing Power of ART Inspired By NATURE” 2023 Exhibition,. As she explains “My magical landscapes express passion through brilliant hues and command power by dramatic contrasts. Studying with admired artists honed my skills and intention. Perseverance through challenges focused my style and voice.” Ruth discovered “creating art brings healing power to my body, mind and spirit.” She adds, “My purpose is to share emotions and bring healing and joy through art.”

Ruth’s paintings have been exhibited in many museums and galleries. Her numerous solo exhibitions include those presented at Osmosis Art Gallery and Troy University Rosa Parks Museum. Her important group shows include Art Design Consultants, Salmagundi Club New York, Butler Institute of American Art, CM Russell Museum, and U.S. Senator Michael Bennet’s office in Washington, DC.

Ruth’s art was accepted to be on view in the 2022 Colorado Day (August 1st) Exhibition at the Colorado State Capitol Complex, including the Governor’s Office, the Lieutenant Governor’s Office, and the basement rotunda, from August 1 through October or November 2022.

You will find Ruth’s art in such prestigious collections such as Good Samaritan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Lafayette, CO; International Association of Fire Fighters, Washington DC; and The Vermont Country Store Scale Museum, Weston, VT; among others.

Visit Ruth Soller’s website: solleroriginals.com

As the curator and juror of “The Healing Power of ART Inspired By NATURE” I spent hundreds of inspired hours reviewing jpeg entries and visiting entrants’ websites before I selected the finalists. After publishing the exhibition, I revisited all exhibiting artists’ websites to renew my familiarity with their artwork and learn more about them. I devoured their Artist’s Statements and even visited their social media posts. During this informative process it was apparent that Daisy Crane, Melanie Pruitt and Ruth Soller deserved  to receive special attention for the many gifts they share with the world. 

View Art from “The Healing Power of ART Inspired By NATURE” 2023 Exhibition

All rights reserved. Do not reproduce images without the artist’s permission.

Kelsey Worth is an accomplished fine artist and instructor living in the heart of San Diego, California. She exhibits her artwork at local galleries including the San Diego Watercolor Society, the San Dieguito Art Guild, and Ashton Gallery.

Her new exquisite watercolors convey important messages about conservation which is one of the reasons why her painting “Lunar Symbiosis”, shown below, was selected for “The Healing Power of ART Inspired By NATURE 2023” online exhibition. The admirable attributes of her art and her articulate artistic vision with a purpose earned her a Special Recognition Art Award which includes a full year membership with The Healing Power of ART & ARTISTS online gallery.

Kelsey’s Portfolio Series Title: “Into the Deep”

Price Range: $500-1500

Kelsey began her creative journey as a dual major in art and music at the University of Redlands in Southern California. Her educational emphasis was saxophone performance and studio art mediums including painting, sculpture, and mixed media.

After receiving a Masters Degree in Music Performance from the University of Redlands, she joined the United States Marine Corps to pursue a full-time military musician career. She completed active duty in April 2021 at MCRD, San Diego, earning distinctions as an accomplished Marine, musician, and visual artist.

After the military, Kelsey started teaching in San Diego at Art on 30th in North Park, where she instructed classes in life drawing, illustration, watercolor, and abstract studies. Currently, she teaches online art courses for UCSD Extended Studies, providing education to students in the Art and Creative Process Program and the Children’s Illustration Program.

All art is in watercolor. Click on thumbnails for larger views.

Kelsey Worth’s Artist’s Statement: 
“At the beginning of 2022 I directed my focus toward ocean conservation. As a San Diego resident, surrounded by the ocean, aquariums, and SeaWorld, I was inspired to draw attention to human impact on aquatic ecosystems and global environments. My work often includes animals afloat celestial backgrounds, depicting stars, galaxies, and planets. The fantastical elements elevates familiar subjects, domestic and wild animals, to an equal level of reverence. The starry series I create captures the earth’s wondrous mysteries and instigates a call to action, appreciation, and to preservation.”

Fascinating Facts About Kelsey Worth:
“I am an advocate of a plant-based diet, which is one small act that I do in order to promote a more sustainable food system. I devote much of my time curating plant-based recipes and sharing them online @chickeaandlotus on Instagram. I want my work and my lifestyle to be a reflection of the values that I hold dear–respect for all life, do no harm, and build a better future.”

Visit Kelsey Worth’s website: kelseyworth.com

Join Kelsey Worth on Social Media
Instagram: @artbyworth
LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelseyworth/

Marie is a champion for positive change and deserves to receive this special award and international exposure on The Healing Power of ART & ARTISTS website. She shares our important mission and declares, “I believe art can touch people in ways scientific data cannot. I want my work to inform the viewer and inspire them to join the healing journey of alternative thinking, speaking out and joining others in collective action to foster change.”

She proclaims, “My creative practice is driven by a deep social conscience and sense of personal responsibility. We can all do something — my something is raising awareness of what is being done and how people can get involved. I want my work to inspire hope and empower the viewer by visually articulating the issues in a way that is accessible to the public and contributes to a shift in climate change conversations.”

We are also proud to include Marie in our ongoing series about “World Changers”.

Marie combines a lifelong passion for nature with her love of the tactile and textural nature of fabric. About her artistic approach she states, “I combine unique fabrics with a variety of upcycled materials to create paintings from fabric and thread. I carefully secure tiny scraps of fabrics with free motion contemporary machine embroidery to create complexity and interest. Delicate shadows resulting from suspended stitched layers represent the delicate, ephemeral qualities found in nature.”

Her artworks have been exhibited nationally and internationally and are held in private collections in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom and United States. Marie’s art can also be seen on the  Earth Arts website. The Australian Earth Laws Alliance (AELA) is a national not-for-profit organization whose mission is “to increase the understanding and practical implementation of Earth centred governance in Australia, with a focus on law, economics, education, ethics and the arts.”

Marie also supports conservation advocacy by donating a portion of all proceeds to national non-profit environmental organizations.

Marie’s mixed media artwork “Fragile Skin II”, shown above, was included in the 10th International Mini Textile Art Exhibition “Scythia” at Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Art Museum in the Ukraine.

When Marie submitted her entry to “The Healing Power of ART: Resilience” exhibition she shared, “Since I am hard-wired to communicate visually, creating is a necessity like breathing, providing me with the resilience to adapt to adversity and learn from life’s experiences. Creating art that reflects my values, provides me with the courage and strength to share my imagery.”

Shown here is “Aftermath”, fabrics, acrylic paint and polyester embroidery thread, 33″ x 18″, from Marie’s “In Remembrance” series which she describes as “both a tribute and warning”.

About her “In Remembrance” series she wrote, “As the catastrophic fire events increased in frequency across Australia, I began this series as a memorial to the hardworking firefighters, the residents who lost their homes or towns and those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. It is also a memorial for the countless animal lives and habitats lost pushing many to the edge of extinction.”

Marie reminds us our need to address the problem of climate change and emphasizes that it is causing “an increase in the extreme weather resulting in these events.” She asserts, “With collective action, there is still time to make a difference, by insisting that our government reduce emissions in line with global targets to reduce future risk.”

Above, Marie is working on her large and impressive work of art “On The Brink”. You can watch a video of her work in progress and see some of the steps she used to create this piece on YouTube: youtube.com/watch?v=2oqaR_a2hnQ

Visit Marie Mitchell’s website: mariemitchellart.com

Join Marie Mitchell on Social Media
Instagram.com/mariemitchellart/?hl=en
Facebook.com/mariemitchellartist

View Art from “The Healing Power of ART: Resilience 2022″ Exhibition

Visit “Special Recognition Art Award Winners” Page

These talented artists recently came to my attention while curating our online exhibition “Inspirational Art in Mixed Media”.

I know you will enjoy viewing their art, reading their statements, and visiting their websites to view more of their artwork and learn more about them.

Natalie Oliphant

Natalie Oliphant lives in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. Her primary goal is to create stories on canvas or body forms. She uses body forms or mannequins as the basis for a wide variety of expressive tactile works of art with powerful messages, such as the piece above titled “Fertility”, about which she states, “Fertility is a devastating problem for those who can’t conceive.” She adds, “My body forms reveal the painful experience in coming of age and sexual revelation.”

About the importance of recycling Natalie explains, “I experimented with supplies to find what worked and what I could discard. I have amassed junk from many, many generous people and thrift stores. My mission is to ‘save it from the landfill’. My storage room looks kind of like a landfill but I see it as a room of treasure.”

She transforms the mannequins and states, “Anonymous since their birth in assembly line production. Discarded, the mannequins will be interred in landfills unless they can be resurrected and given their own voice. Now adorned with repurposed jewellery, purses, hardware, and recycled fabric, the mannequins reveal a new. They wear the pain of memories and human experience.”  natalieoliphantart.ca

Ana Gaines

Ana Gaines is an artist who lives in Stocksund, Danderyd, Sweden. Colorful flowers, butterflies, birds, and heart shapes are a few of the many delightful forms arranged in her functional art pieces with her exquisite sense of design.

Beyond having superb aesthetic qualities, Ana’s art exudes the power of renewal. As an eco-conscious mixed media artist, she recycles objects and materials and adorns tables, trays, doors, and other three-dimensional objects using such items as glass from old windows, pieces of CD-ROMs, eggshells, in addition to pigments, inks, acrylic paint, resin and other mediums. Each one is chosen wisely to increase luminosity, reflection, depth, and texture, as well as provide preservation and durability.

Ana explains, “I want to help improve the world by recycling materials and creating new objects in the form of art with a function. For example, giving new life to old tables, trays, walls, and more.” Through Ana’s imaginative creative vision, discarded items, otherwise destined to landfills, are magically transformed, and remind us of our responsibility to safeguard our environment. As her functional art pieces — such as tables and trays — are utilized and treasured by her collectors, they offer opportunities from which new experiences can be shared and memories can be cherished. gaines.se

Nancy Calef

Nancy Calef lives in San Francisco, California, U.S. and has lived in Europe and Thailand, and traveled throughout the world. She was born in Bronx, New York, and attended the College of New Rochelle at age 15 to study painting and sculpture, after completing Bronx HS of Science. The multi-talented artist is also a certified computer animator. It’s no surprise to find computer parts in her works of art.

Nancy’s most recent works are the latest progression which involves “tearing down one or more existing works at a time, manipulating them, and then painting into the re-configured whole, adding found objects and sculpture while layering and integrating it with other canvasses.” In her whimsical interactive wood sculptures, you will discover found objects and figures that are made out of deconstructed computer monitors.

For Nancy, this creative process also served as a form of healing. She explains, “I developed this series while caring for an aunt with Alzheimers. I need to restore myself to the simplest of movement and form to cope with the trauma and support her as she declined.”  nancycalefgallery.com

Chris Marshall

Chris Marshall lives in Perth, Western Australia. She often begins an art project by looking around her garden “to see what I could use as mark-making tools”. She explains, I love organic markmaking, colour, texture and observing the world around me. I have fun mixing my media, creating ‘something’ out of ‘nothing’ and particularly enjoy recycling things from my everyday life onto my artworks (such as) fabrics, completed cryptic crosswords, used paper bags, etc… so that each one contains a part of my life while it evolves.

I generally use acrylics and acrylic inks in my mixed-media paintings as I love their versatility and all the mediums available plus they dry quickly. I sometimes start with an overall concept in mind but I let the painting evolve, trusting and enjoying my intuitive journey.”

Chris was also involved with management of a local Community Arts Centre and Gallery for 20 years. She believes everyone benefits from cultural and creative activities, “connecting with nature and being part of a supportive community.” marshallarts.com.au

View Art from the “Inspirational Art in Mixed Media” online exhibition.

This article is the result of a question I posted on Facebook asking artists what eco-friendly art materials do you use? I received many wonderful comments to the question and you’ll find several of them below. You’ll find some unique ways you may not have thought of plus some good resources.

If you want to read the comments from all artists visit the discussion on Facebook. 

If you are an artist you may be interested in reading “Nature and Environmental Resources for Artists” that contains useful information to take your eco-art further. You may also want to read my article “Are Your Art Materials Making You Sick?”

The artists’ names will take you to their websites if they list it on their Facebook pages. Otherwise their names will take you to their Facebook pages.

Vincent van Gogh in Dryer Lint by Heidi Hooper.

Heidi Hooper
“I work in dryer lint mostly. Although I will use any textile smutz I find. I work with tweezers and glass holds the final piece together.”

Heidi Hooper is the world’s premier dryer lint artist. Consumer Reports calls her “The Andy Warhol of Dryer Lint.” Ripley’s Believe it or Not features her work in their museums and in their books. The work of art above by Heidi Hooper was nominated for the 2016 Niche Magazine Award in the “Recycled” category.  Read an article Heidi wrote for us here.

Ronda Richley
“I mainly use recycled materials in my work. Nothing ever from China either (except the D rings and screws that I cannot find anywhere else!) I am very environmentally conscious as I also donate to OneTreePlanted.org. I recycle canvases, wood, paper, and even peel the paint from my palette and use in my other works. Everything is reused, refurbished etc. and has been for several years.”

Beverly Todd
“I use a ‘crash’ set up that removes paint solids from wastewater. I host workshops and often have 10 artists in one week washing acrylic paint from their brushes and hands. The crash system keeps these solids out of the water system (I’m on well water) and from clogging pips and septic. So what’s the system look like? A hose, hooked up to a fish cleaning table (has two sinks) serves as an outdoor clean up station. The water drains into 5 gal. buckets. That water is treated with the ‘crash’ and poured through a giant coffee filter. The solids are left in the filter. My next project — mixing a ‘Santa Fe Gray’ with the leftover solids.”

(You can find out more about this system by visiting Golden Crash Paint Solids Waste Water Cleaning System)

Steve Barr
Artist Steve Barr founded Drawn To Help, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization created by to supplement existing art programs at hospitals, camps and treatment facilities around the country. You can read an article about him and his organization here.

“All of the art supply gift packs ‘Drawn To Help’ gives to children in hospitals contain eco-friendly pencils. We give them Staedtler Wopex HB pencils, which use less wood than most other pencils and last twice as long. They also are latex-free and nontoxic, which extremely important when you’re working with children with compromised immune systems or who are going through chemotherapy treatments. The kids love them because they know they’re better for the environment, and last a long time. One child at a camp told me hers had lasted her an entire year.”

Lin Rhys
“I created an ecofriendly watercolor set that I sell for nature journaling. I’ll be expanding with more color palettes soon! I also make ecofriendly acrylics and tempura for my own paintings, and printmaking inks. I switched my whole studio over to ecofriendly last year during the pandemic.”

Lyn Rhys is the Founding Director of Eco-Heart Alliance. Its mission is “to protect biodiversity and inspire conservation by developing and promoting ecofriendly, sustainable ways to connect people with nature.”

Andrew Abney
Not sure about eco-friendly, because pigments and pigment chemistry have specific issues. But I do reuse or recycle about 80% of my waste. What can’t be, gets disposed in the proper fashion. Things like:
1. Saving the dust from sharpening drawing pencils, charcoals, and conte crayons (separately) to lay tone in a drawing
2. Saving the shavings from wax crayons and coloured pencils, mixing them and using my Crayola crayon factory, make grayed tone crayons for further drawing.
3. Drawings that don’t end well, use the back side to test media or prints, or prime over and use for painted sketches.
4. Spread leftover acrylic paint and medium on glass and let dry. Use the polymer sheets for custom masking.
5. Use packing materials as supports for quick studies. Press out the craft paper for drawing, and cut up the boxes and prime the sheets for painting (or dry mount watercolour paper).
6. Use the thin plastic for monoprinting or masking.
7. The shredded craft paper packing materials is great for cleaning pencils and sticks after sharpening, pen nibs and ballpoints while drawing, and as a dauber for charcoal and graphite powder, and for wiping small intaglio plates.
8. I pick up damaged used books cheap, patch them up and use them as a sketchbook.
9. I use packing foam and bubble wrap to protect and store Conte crayons, pastels, and sharpened drawing pencils.
10. Unused oil paint, I scrap together together on the palette, mix, and tube for use as a chromatic gray. I have done this with acrylic and watercolour too.

There are many artists using recycled materials such as Anastassia Elias anastassia-elias.fr. She used toilet paper rolls to create miniature scenes of life to raise awareness about sanitation. You can read an article about her here.

Adriana Garces
“As an Artist, I love best to reuse materials such as wood from furniture pieces (or the whole of feasible) and fabrics as surfaces for painting. I also love to rework those materials into functional art and artistically appealing pieces.”

Sandra Duran Wilson
“I repurpose packages like tissue boxes and toothpaste boxes. I make corrugated cardboard special with gold leaf and used dryer sheets spread with plaster and paste make marvelous textures.”

Yvonne Welman
“I use open acrylics from Golden because you can do the same techniques as with oil painting. They are less toxic with cleaning. Just water is needed. I use old materials from my mother and pieces I made as a girl (knitting, embroidery and hand stitching) I also use things like old paper fasteners, parts of ballpoint pens, etc.”

Shan Fannin
“Whenever I have acrylic paint left over on my palettes, I scrape it into a very large jar. I add some Golden GAC 100 to keep it all wet/smooth and mix it together. It becomes My Gray. I then reuse that paint as a base layer for future works. As for packaging, I save all my air pillows, bubble wrap, sturdy boxes, and tubes I receive from Amazon, my printer, and other deliveries. I reuse all of it to ship to galleries, exhibitions, and clients.”

This article “Eco-Conscious Artists and The Materials They Use” is part of our ongoing series devoted to Eco-Art and Eco-Artists.

You may also want to read What is Environmental Art?

Resources
Eco-Products 
“We are not a disposable products company trying to act green. We’re a green company who happens to operate in disposables. Sustainable disposables sound like an oxymoron, but we live in a consumer culture where disposable products are ubiquitous. And they aren’t going away anytime soon. We see this as an incredible opportunity to help change the world—and more importantly, each of the local communities we serve—by making sustainable disposable products that shift an industry.”

Natural Art Supplies
“At Natural Art Supplies, we conduct business a little bit differently as we go out of our way to source art products and curate a collection that does as little harm as possible to people, communities, and the environment. All of the products we represent are natural, organic, green, fair trade, eco-friendly, and or carry a social mission. Each product carries a story, of the artisan who lovingly created it, where the materials originated, or the centuries-old methods used to produce it. We invite you to browse naturalartsupplies.com and learn more about the story behind each product we carry.

“Resources for Artists Who Care About Nature & The Environment.”  This ebook provides opportunities for artists to expand their global art community, advance their art career, and make a positive difference in the world.

In this 80+ page ebook you’ll find many resources and venues to share your nature-inspired art and vision. It will show you where and what to join, learn, share and participate in this field of nature-inspired and environmental art. Learn more about this ebook here.

As part of our ongoing series of eco-art and artists The Healing Power of ART & ARTISTS is pleased to introduce the creative and purposeful work of Alexandre Dang, a French visual eco-artist. Dang uses the energy of solar technology as the animating force in his work by bringing together, in a very appealing way, science, environmental concerns, and humanism. He has created joyful tableaux of hundreds of kinetically designed flowers called the “Dancing Solar Flowers.”

Dang, who currently resides in Brussels, Belgium, was educated as an engineer in the prestigious Ecole Polytechnique and Ecole National des Ponts and Chausses in Paris. After finishing school, he became convinced of the dire need to raise awareness about global climate concerns. He began to figure out how to combine his profound knowledge of technology with his artistic abilities by incorporating environmentally friendly technologies into his work. He developed an artistic moving creation, a flower, which uses the sun’s energy as the only source of power. His iconic flower illustrates the fact that one can combine successfully eco friendly technology and renewable energy.

The “Dancing Solar Flowers” have been featured in sites around the world, including the Belgian and European Pavilion of World Expo Shanghai 2010. They have joined museum collections including the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) of Taipei, and others too numerous to mention.

While Dang’s works have a universal appeal, he is hoping to attract the younger generation to the realities of using solar energy. To this end, Dang founded Solar Solidarity International as a non-profit organization which raises awareness of and support for solar photovoltaic electrification of schools in developing countries. He states “that although the sun provides 10,000 times more energy to the earth than humans need, more than 1.3 billion people still do not have access to electricity”.

Dang’s artistic and scientific background continues to evolve in the direction of new projects. Currently he is developing new machines, completely powered by solar energy, that make “solar paintings” and “solar drawings.” The first exhibition of such solar artwork recently occurred at the “Van Gogh Space” in Arles, France.

As we look to see what advances have been made in bringing awareness and solutions to the current global climate crises, one cannot help but see some hope with the measures adopted by the COP21 Paris Climate Change Summit, December 2015. As the president of the conference, Laurent Fabius said upon the signing of the agreement among 195 countries “Long Live the planet. Long live humanity. Long live life itself”. Alexandre Dang represents both an artist and scientist who has taken to heart this mantra through his eco-friendly creations.

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Art for Wildlife Galleries artforwildlife.com is a World Class Environmental Art Gallery established in 1994 in Coronado, California. It was founded on the belief in the purity and sanctity of animals and the natural world as subject matter for Art. The gallery features representations of our natural world, expressed in paintings and giclees, cast bronze sculptures, art glass, refined metal wall sculpture, underwater photo panoramas, Oaxacan wood carvings, and more.

The Climate Museum, climatemuseum.org, has announced after presenting “vibrant, interdisciplinary, participatory climate programming” in temporary and public spaces over the next two years, it will open a permanent location in New York City to “deepen our relationships with different constituencies, our understanding of what works, and our proof of concept.” Its current exhibition through November 6th “Climate Signals” is a citywide outdoor installation by artist Justin Brice Guariglia, which consists of ten solar-powered highway signs flashing text that draws passers-by into the climate conversation.

Light Space Time Online Art Gallery lightspacetime.art is an online gallery that presents Annual “Nature” Online Art Competitions.  The gallery encourages entries from artists from around the world. For more information visit this page on the Light Space Time Online Art Gallery.

TCC teaneckcreek.org/ecoart-gallery in Teaneck, New Jersey, is unique in its commitment to communicating the history and ecology of the park through ecological and artistic endeavors. Its signature EcoArt installations build on a community model that emphasizes the natural synergy between the arts, the environment, and education. Artists may submit applications for exhibitions through the website.

Center for Sustainable Practice in the Arts sustainablepractice.org is a Think Tank for Sustainability in the Arts and Culture. Their activities include research and initiatives positioning arts and culture as a driver of a sustainable society. You can find them on facebook: facebook.com/thecspa

Earth Celebrations earthcelebrations.com is dedicated to engaging communities to affect ecological and social issues through the arts. A cultural and climate action project, it engages the Lower East Side community of NYC, NY through creative strategies. The initiative addresses a broad range of climate change issues through programs that include theatrical pageants, exhibitions, performances, art workshops, and more. You can also join them on Facebook along with 4,000 other environmentally conscious people. EarthCelebrations

Invisible Dust invisibledust.com is a charity and art and environment organization founded in 2009 by Alice Sharp; previously curator of the Fourth Plinth and Yinka Shonibare. It raises money to commission art projects relating to the environment. It works with leading artists and scientists to produce unique and exciting works of contemporary art and new scientific ideas exploring our environment and climate change.

The Healing Power of ART & ARTISTS “Nature” Exhibitions

We present several exhibitions each year that reflect The Healing Power of ART & ARTISTS mission as a community of artists, writers and activists who believe that art can serve as a catalyst for healing individuals, society and the environment, our mission is to raise awareness for positive change through art.

In our exhibitions we offer artists from around the world exposure and promotion to our extensive worldwide audience. Our exhibitions raise awareness by presenting a variety of powerful visual images and artists’ statements created by artists who care about the state of our environment. We inspire others to strive to achieve a more sustainable, harmonious and healing relationship with Mother Nature.

“The Healing Power of ART Inspired by NATURE” was presented January 1 – March 1, 2023. You can still view art from the exhibition. 

“The Healing Power of ART In Honor of Nature”, May 20, 2021 – July 2021 with 75 artists from around the world. Learn more about “The Healing Power of ART In Honor of Nature.

“Our Bond With Nature”,  October 25, 2018 – December 25, 2018  View some of the art from the “Our Bond With Nature Exhibition.

You may also want to read
“Famous Inspirational Quotes About Art & Nature that Inspire Artists”

What is Environmental Art?

Update: 2020
Since this article was originally published in 2015 much has happened. In an article about John Sabraw in Time.com, August, 2020, writer Arvind Dilwar wrote: “Sabraw’s idea inspired not only a line of his paintings but also a collaborative effort between artists, researchers and community organizers to turn Sunday Creek’s AMD into paint pigments via an artistically inclined water-treatment facility breaking ground next year. Should the project prove to be a success, its backers at Rural Action, a regional nonprofit, are hoping to replicate it throughout Appalachia, turning the runoff from abandoned mines into art, jobs and clean water.”

By Mary Lou Dauray

The transformation of polluted streams into clean running water and safe earth-colored painting pigments from more than 4000 abandoned coal mines in Ohio is possible.

John Sabraw, professor of Art at Ohio University, is an artist and alchemist. He has, along with Dr. Guy Riefler, an associate professor of environmental engineering there, and their students,  developed a process which remediates toxic water from abandoned coal mines by filtering out usable iron pigments (oxyhydroxide particles). This is accomplished by neutralizing and aerating the polluted water which settles out the pigments and leaves it clean. This resultant iron sludge is dried, milled into a fine powder and then added to refined linseed oil or acrylic polymer to create paint.

Sabraw uses the colors, which range from a yellow ochre to a rich, dark red in his highly acclaimed painting series such as “Chroma” and Luminous”.

Although this process is still in the development phase, Sabraw and his team are planning to create a pilot facility to clean the water and make the pigment. According to Sabraw, “our latest estimate is that one highly productive abandoned mine drainage seep would produce over 1 ton of dry pigment per day.”

The sale of the pigment would hopefully offset the cost of production. Any profits would go to clean up the huge number of polluted streams in Ohio. Sabraw knows that a production facility could be easily replicated throughout Ohio and in any area of the world. In addition, the local community would be taught to manage the facilities, thus creating jobs.

“The artist, like the scientist, has a crucial role to perform in our society: See things differently, act on this vision, report the failure and successes.” ~ John Sabraw

This is not an isolated project for John Sabraw. All of his paintings, drawings and collaborative installations are produced in an eco conscious manner, and he continually works toward a fully sustainable practice.  He has made all of his works net zero carbon emissions. Without a doubt, his eco-art helps to raise awareness of the toxic effect of coal mining pollution.

Sabraw has received a lot of attention from the press, having been most recently featured in Smithsonian, New Scientist, London, and the Discovery Channel. In a recent Huffington Post article, Sabraw mentions that he “collaborates with many scientists and artists in widely differing fields and he has come to the conclusion that scientists and artists share two critical aspects: curiosity and failure…but that failure does not dampen our curiosity. So the artist, like the scientist, has a crucial role to perform in our society: See things differently, act on this vision, report the failure and successes.”

John Sabraw’s art has been shown in more than 80 exhibitions and is in many museum, corporate and private collections including the Museum of Contemporary Art, Honolulu, the Elmhurst Museum in Illinois, Emprise Bank, and Accenture Corp. He is represented in Chicago by Thomas McCormick.

We have not heard the last from John Sabraw, eco-artist and alchemist, and will do a follow up article on his progress and process of turning sludge into paint.

Visit John Sabraw’s website: www.johnsabraw.com
View a video: www.johnsabraw.com/video/
View his art: www.johnsabraw.com/chroma/

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Houton studied studio art at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts School. She has exhibited nationally and internationally and recently completed an artist residency in Assisi, Italy.

When I read the transcript of a talk she gave at Merrimack College I was struck by her profound knowledge and insight and asked her to share excerpts in this article. I’m delighted to present it here and help to raise awareness about art that focuses on environmental concerns.  ~ Renée Phillips, Founder and Editor, The Healing Power of ART & ARTISTS

Environmental / Climate Change Themed Art Series
By Janel Houton

In Pope Francis’s book “Enclyclical on Climate Change & Inequality”, (available in paperback and on kindle at Amazon), he wrote: “The Universe as a whole, in all its manifold relationships, shows forth the inexhaustible riches of God… God wills the interdependence of creatures. The sun and the moon, the cedar and the little flower, the eagle and the sparrow: the spectacle of their countless diversities and inequalities tells us that no creature is self-sufficient. Creatures exist only in dependence on each other, to complete each other, in the service of each other.”

Those words have a profound effect on me. Within a few years of focusing on art professionally, I found I was primarily interested in nature.  I began an environmental / climate change themed art series after reading an article published in March 2015 in the Boston Globe, titled “Native Plants face significant Threat”. The article began: “In all, 22 percent of all native plant species in New England are now either extinct, rare, or in a state of decline.”

The article continued to say that nearly a third of all the region’s plants were from elsewhere, with an increasing number considered invasive, and harmful to native flora. It described current and potential scenarios for native plants, including the Sugar Maple tree, one iconic to New England.

Climate Change and Die-Off
I was most shocked by the potential that temperature changes brought on by climate change, within the next 100 years, are likely to lead these brilliant trees in the region to experience a massive die-off. As a resident of New England, I am aware of the associations of the region with autumn, an image of New England well known afar, and inspiring all kinds of culture, tourism, and economy.

The realization that this is one of many likely and dire possibilities for our environment, was a revelation to me.  I realized that while we hear in general terms about climate change and environmental threats, that without evaluating the species that live and grow in our backyards —  including the foods we eat to live — we often disconnect from the facts and factors that impact and perpetuate these conditions.

As a series, I started combining text from articles about environmental scenarios and climate change with my subject matter, hoping that people might make a conscious connection to the consequences of climate change and environmental threats.

Endangered Species
I started reading about native species in decline in New England, looking at the Massachusetts “List of Endangered, Threatened and Special Concern Species”. For each species there is information online with descriptions, causes for their decline, and suggestions for conservation.

When we study the history of New England’s ecology, we become aware the incredible abundance of wild and sea life that once existed. The Native Americans here saw the earth and the use of it, in a very different way; they did not see land as a commodity, and considered use of it as temporary, so that lending of land was done with the expectation of its return.  They believed in only the use of what was needed, through harvest and hunting, with a conscious recognition of the need for the earth, wildlife, and nature to be able to reproduce for following cycles, necessary for human beings’ survival.

Massachusetts has a rich biological legacy, home to a wide array of plants and animals. Of native species, there are 176 vertebrate and invertebrate animals, and 256 species of plants that are considered to be at risk of extirpation from Massachusetts, or even global extinction.

There are various causes that have impacted these species, however even slight temperature changes cause dramatic impacts on native ecosystems — something that people rarely discuss. Also, as we witness devastating floods and storms, the people who have done the least to cause it, are among the first to experience the worst consequences.

The Consequences of Consumerism
All of this brings us to consumerism.  Looking at the limits of the earth, and in order to support our mutual survival, we must consider the need to adjust our views regarding economic success, growth and greed.  How can we not consider whether non-human life on earth has any less right to be here, than we do?

Small efforts can support native environments and species, including planting native species, not overusing water, not using harmful insecticides or pesticides, and choosing earth and environmentally friendly options. Supporting local economies, especially farms and farmers’ markets, is critical as well.

My hope is that by understanding the impact that endless consumption has on the earth, that we will all make better and informed choices. The fact is that no matter our desires, we cannot continue to produce and consume as we have for all of the earth’s billions, because we simply don’t have the resources.

It is critical to realize the power we all have to make meaningful and positive choices for the earth, for all of its living beings, and the future, every day.

The full transcript of Janel Houton’s speech is available on her website.

Visit Janel Houton’s website at janelhouton.com

Join Janel Houton on social media
facebook.com/janelartistpage
instagram.com/jhouton
twitter.com/JHouton

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