Artist Statement
"This Place, That Place" offers viewers two possible futures for the waterways, bays, and oceans of our planet. The left side of the mural depicts an infamous day in the Bay Area, September 9, 2020, when the sky turned red due to a convergence of wildfire smoke and fog. The memory of this day is a perfect representation of the effects of climate change on our environment and home. The colors are reminiscent of the colors of that day, the red sun and orange horizon. The grasses of the Emeryville wetlands are painted in dark, unnatural colors. The left side of the mural is juxtaposed with the right side, representing a healthy, vibrant environment. Included are three Delta Smelt, a species now endangered in the Bay Area due to water diversions, pollutants, and harmful non-native species that thrive in the Delta. The cloud designs are made up of patterns used in the Ohlone basket weaving tradition, celebrating the artistic traditions of the Indigenous people of Emeryville. Lastly, the line-work and colorful arc are images I often use in my work to represent joyfulness and love. This mural offers a choice to the viewer: do we want to live in a healthy, thriving environment, or will our inactions to stop climate change cause us to live in a polluted, damaged environment?
The Focus
Climate Change & Bay Area Species at Risk
