Nature, that is the physical world that surrounds us, is an overwhelming concept for us as humans, especially because we are so physically small compared with our surroundings. In our contemporary world, we contain nature in many ways, one of which is to collect and enjoy inexpensive, mass-produced consumer goods that are scaled to us as humans: electronics, toys, etc. We allow ourselves to be seduced by these cute, small, man-made objects even as we environmentally ruin the majesty of our surroundings to create them. This piece is a contemporary critique of our uneasy relationship with nature -- the project demonstrates our attempts to contain what is large at the same time we focus attention on small, man-made objects. There are 36 very small oil paintings of the natural beauty of Kamiyama (the number refers to Hokusai's 36 views of Mount Fuji), which is contrasted with a mural-sized painting of a plastic-encased, Hello Kitty cell phone toy. The small oil paintings were, for the most part, created on site, outdoors. The scale of the painting of a consumer good dwarfs the small, commodity-like size of the Kamiyama nature scenes, allowing the viewer to question her or his views regarding nature and commodities. This piece was created in response to a request for art proposals regarding the contemporary relationship of man and nature. Of 195 international proposals, four artists were selected by the Kamiyama Artists-in-Residence program to fly to Kamiyama, Japan and create and install the works. This is one of two major projects I completed during the 7-week residency in Fall 2003. The other one is the Kamiyama Nature Pilgrimage. Home| Pink and Green | Exhibits| Contact