Christa Grenawalt

christagrenawalt.com

Part of Series: In the Balance

Moving through the Plastic Sea, 2019

Acrylic on Canvas

92”W x 66”H

Artist Statement

The past few years have been framed by environmental disruption--floods, fires, smoke, and virus. We're navigating a new way to move through the world and the environment. In the Anthropocene, defined by the Dutch scientist Paul Crutzen, as an era in which the modern environment is now shaped by human-driven evolution, toxic or unnatural elements are often normalized in nature's attempt to heal and find balance. This balance begins and ends with the ocean: a handful of ocean water is a universe of microbes and particle pollution, including plastic from waste that has been incorporated into the ecosystem.

This balance is part of my painting process. I paint outside on the ground overlooking the ocean. I use acrylic paint—plastic on canvas—to share an emotional response to the natural environment. Being outside, allowing my body to move with the wind and water, I search to find something tangible in the chaos to recover a lost sense of meaning.Through texture, layering and movement of paint, the material in the environment is brought into the work itself. Ocean water, rain, sand, grass, and dirt pigment are included with the paint.

Through texture, layering, and the movement of paint by myself and the natural elements - wind and tides – the painting becomes a collaboration with the environment. Ocean water, rain, and foliage mix together with the paint.