The Green Sea: The Nature Conservancy at Work
Artist Statements
May Britton,
K. Dianne Hottenstein,
Gillian Hurd,
Anne May,
Clay McGlamory,
Pam Ponce,
Patricia Sterritt,
Darella Wilson-Banks
Return to The Green Sea
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| May Britton | |
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Through the exploration of form and material, I aspire to present a visual balance of elements in a manner that is reflective of nature.
This balance which occurs so prevalently in nature has become ingrained in our subconscious and reflective of our identity. Art and nature
are processes that memorialize who we are and what we experience. The art that I attempt to create, expresses visually what cannot be
explicitly said.
Stephane Mallarme: "To name an object, is to deprive the public ofthree-quarters of its pleasure. The identity of objects should be
revealed gradually... To suggest- that should be the poet's dream."1
1 John Russell. The Meanings of Modern Art, (The Museum ofModem Art, NY), Harper & Row Publishers, NY , 1981, pp 73-74.
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K. Dianne Hottenstein
| Mesic Mixed Hardwood Forest |
I was privileged to visit a Mesic Hardwood Forest in North Carolina, few remain in the Green Sea. Immersed in the cool atmosphere
and color of the protective, lush umbrage of trees centuries old, the vegetative strength lures you with serenity and a sense of nurtured
safety. Footsteps muffled by years of decay below, and small, rare, vegetation, randomly sprout upward seeking the meek source of sunlight
only recognizable as you look skyward. Using a variety of printmaking processes~ linoleum cuts, watercolor transfer, mono-printing, hand
working, and intaglio, I was inspired by the power of these ancient woods to attempt to capture their endangered status for this project
with the Nature Conservancy.
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Gillian Hurd
| Riverine and Basin Swamp Forest |
Some of us take our natural environment for granted while others connect with it and strive to protect it. Interest in this project
was inspired by a personal relationship with nature. rooted in childhood. The plants and animals depicted in the riverine and swamp
forest basin are a delicate community threaded by natural elements as well as by humans. By using a variety of printmaking techniques,
I make impressions and layer images of these areas to show the complexities and uniqueness of its inhabitance and threads. These prints
are intended to educate as well as visually stimulate the viewer who may be less familiar with our surrounding environment.
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Anne May
| Non-Riverine Wet Hardwood Forest |
Looking closely within this unique wetland landscape, delicacies of nature are revealed.
Subtle textures, colors, and shapes are patiently waiting to be captured by the artist. Creatures are growing, blooming and
moving, unaware of the dangers perhaps only moments away in a race against time for their lives. I hope to capture the richness
of this environment and with each viewpoint, beckon one to come in for a closer look.
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Clay McGlamory
| Canebrake |
I have wanted to work with the local environment in my art for a while and was pleased to
have the opportunity to show people through print some of the problems facing the fascinating ecosystems surrounding Hampton Roads.
I have been working with multiples for the last few years and have carried that methodology into my pieces of the Canebrake ecosystem
in the Green Sea Wetlands. I have been printing panels of manipulated photographic images and repeating them to create mesmerizing
optical patterns and grid systems. Combining computer manipulated photographic images and actual photograms of cane exposed directly
onto screens, I have printed optical panels on acrylic sheets that are visually stimulating and also reference the plight of the canebrake
ecosystems and the beautiful, endangered canebrake rattlesnake. It is my hope that the works in this show will enlighten some of its viewers
to the beauty in their backyards and the dangers that those ecosystems face, especially from the ultimate predator- humans.
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Pam Ponce
| Freshwater Wind-Tide Marsh |
As I prepared for this show with the Nature Conservancy. my explorations of the windtide marsh have shown me an incredible diversity and richness of life. I was struck by the natural duality of the marsh: the expansiveness versus the density .the sublime light versus the rich darkness. I have tried to capture this duality in my screenprints through manipulation of color and texture.
In my prints. I try to simulate the light of the wind-tide marsh by printing multiple layes of translucent color. Painting on silk allows the passage of light through the translucent areas of the print. and gives the effect of light playing through the blades of marshgrass. Although screenprint usually produces hard edges. I have used curving. fluid lines and strong textures to capture the organic subject matter. To depict Phragmites. an invasive plant. I have printed a dense. tangled texture to suggest the strangulating effect of this plant on native species.
Through my images. I hope to have captured the spirit of the wind-tide marsh and inspire concern that this fragile. beautiful place might soon disappear from the earth.
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Patricia Sterritt
| pyrophytic Low PocosinlPond Pine Woodland |
As the rarest type of wetland, the poco sin may be one of the least
familiar, and it is not a hospitable environment for hiking and observation. Its dense tangled understory of evergreen shrubs and vines
on an unstable deep peat layer does not yield its secrets easily. This impenetrable mass has an air of mystery that invites deeper
interest, a quality that I have attempted to introduce into my prints. The deep peat and root systems' slow filtering of water is a
dynamic process that is not subject to inspection, but yields a rich source of imagery for the artist. The Nature Conservancy's
interventions in the Green Sea have begun the restoration of natural processes that have been disrupted by man. For me, the investigation
of these processes and the unique species that survive in the poco sin has been a fascinating trip into a hidden world.
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Darella Wilson-Banks
| Atlantic White Cedar Swamp |
As I explored the Atlantic White Cedar bog, I discovered a pristine world filled with diverse plant and tree species.
The rich colors and extreme textures are balanced out by delicate patches of light that create a thoroughly majestic environment.
As I create my lithographs, I intend to capture the true spirit of this fragile and rare environment comprised of endangered species
in the effort to create awareness and preservation of the Atlantic White Cedars.
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