Duckweed is an invasive aquatic plant; a single specimen can multiply into millions. The lush green carpet clogs waterways, depriving other organisms of nutrients. The duckweed only departs when heavy rains wash it away downstream.
When the rains cease to fall, a flock of sailboats migrate away from the barren land. These boats lead a nomadic existence, floating off to wetter worlds.
In 1989, a slick of crude oil crept over the waters off the coast of Alaska. Marine life suffered greatly – hundreds of thousands of seabirds died, as did thousands of marine mammals. The toll on the myriad fishes that live below the waves could never be reliably assessed. Perhaps they were protected, as the oil floated on top of the water, but tens of thousands of gallons of crude oil still remain in the sands along the shoreline.
Water is essential to life, but just as destructive as a severe drought is an inundation of rainfall. The world must exist in balance, and when this equilibrium is disrupted, the birds leave their houses and fly away to a new, healthy stand of trees.
When Duckweed Covers the Earth
2005, lithograph, etching, chine collé, 9 x 9 inches
Migration of the Speckled Blue Sailboats
2005, lithograph, etching, chine collé, 8 x 7.5 inches
Falling Fish
2006, lithograph, etching, aquatint, chine collé, 8 x 7.5 inches
Flooded Trees
2006, lithograph, drypoint, aquatint, chine collé, 10.5 x 8 inches