The “Ghosts” of The Rainforest

This past weekend I had the chance to watch David Attenborough’s latest film, A Life On Our Planet, (Netflix) where he shares his views on climate change and how he has decided to change his ways on describing this issue. I would highly recommend you watch the The Economist Podcast where Attenborough talks about his Netflix film explaining how he couldn’t keep quiet any longer and how he didn’t care how political he got on this life threatening event, possibly The Sixth Great Extension Event.

My work has always touched the subject through history and acknowledgment of our natural world and our surroundings. I have been working on a new series about the new ghosts in the Rainforests, tree trunks. In the past 50 years we have lost 60% of the world’s Rainforest biodiversity and trees in our quest for agriculture and mining, destroying everything in our path of “civilization.” I am one of those who still believe that it is reversible, we just need to work on it, reforesting is not that hard to accomplish, it only takes a little legislation and willingness. Sadly, many fight legislation basing their argument on “economic freedoms,” while knowing they are destroying our “global home.”

The “Ghosts” of The Rainforest began as an evolution of my previous series, Untamed,where I presented the ever-changing forest by applying chromatic effects with color changing lights. In one painting you could get endless different color/chromatic depictions of the same scene, in some you could even see the dead forest.

That was when I realized there was more to say about these landscapes and forests than just their intriguing colors and beauty. This was the best way I have to raise awareness about the disappearing forest crisis. Now the white tree trunks stand and float as part of that message, the foliage now becomes part of the clouds almost there, but not there.