PETROLEUM 2015 - 2016

These drawings present plastic trash in the context of its origin in fossil fuels, which evolved from microorganisms in the ocean 500 million years ago. As these tiny creatures died and decayed on the ocean floor, heat, pressure, and chemical activity, slowly transformed them into oil. This remarkable substance eventually emerged from the earth where it was discovered and used by man for many purposes. From the 19th century onward fossil fuels propelled the industrial revolution, and became the source of the ocean of plastic that surrounds us today.

NEW JERSEY SUBURB, 2015, Mixed media on Mylar, 42x65 inches
In the same pictorial space an aerial view of New Jersey is combined with gold line drawings of microscopic organisms, and disposable plastic. Many cars are parked nearby, as the rising sea threatens the neighborhood.

TRILOBITES AND TRASH, 2016, Mixed media on Mylar, 42x65 inches
It is strange to think of beautiful and delicate trilobites and diatoms as the ancestors of our trash, with oil as the mediator. In this drawing outlines of these organisms are intertwined with gold lines from oil rigs. Black dots of oil and colorful images of plastic toys from the future hover above.

AMERICAN DREAMS: THE GOOD LIFE, 2016, Mixed media and plastic trash on Mylar, 42x56 inches
AMERICAN DREAMS: THE OPEN ROAD, 2016, Mixed media and plastic trash on Mylar, 42x60 inches
A large house and a Chevy from the 50’s anchor these drawings. Overlaid are outlines of bugs and hubcaps, pictures from magazines, and pieces of clear trash. Confusion reigns.