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Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Oil spill, what oil spill?

oil/canvas  24"x30"  copyright 2010 Kathy Hodge

This painting, I swear, was well along BEFORE the BP oil spill, but now that it's done, the associations are inevitable. A premonition? I hope not, or I'm going to have to be careful what I paint. This is actually taken from the beach in Riverside during a blustery bronze sunset, the fish was found on the beach on the cape. It's part of a new series I'm working on placing creatures in uncomfortable environments.

But it raises an interesting question. If an "Artists Respond to the Gulf Oil Spill" exhibit takes place (and they have - here & here) could I enter it? I've already had people assume it's about the oil spill, so they could be right. Time for me to bow out on this one.

BP says the oil's all gone anyway, so nevermind.

4 comments:

  1. I think that's a powerful piece and the message is not yesterday's news, thank you very much. There has just been another explosion on a oil rig and we know that the ecological disaster is not over. Sadly, it's ongoing. So, please do enter your stunning painting. I seldom see art work that really speaks to our ongoing destruction of the environment and that one does, loud and clear!

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  2. Kathy- this is an amazing painting, really. Disturbing, but really well done.

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  3. Is there a good reason why your icon and thumbnail shown on my bloglist is a year old? I want you and your wonderful stuff to be up-to-date. Don't you?

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  4. fantastic painting. And it will always be relevant.
    I also love your idea for the series of paintings. I find myself more and more drawn to painting wildlife yet the traditional genre holds no appeal for me. Disassociating the human element and painting wildlife in pristine wilderness settings seems so full of sentimental artificiality. I understand the yearning for depicting animals in places that haven't been spoiled by humans, but what hasn't been spoiled or altered by us? almost nothing. Looking forward to seeing the new works

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