Eternal Ecologies, oil on canvas, 8’x8’, 2025.
This body of work fulfilled the Senior Thesis requirements to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from UNC Charlotte in 2025.
Birth, life, death, rebirth.
creation vs. destruction
Growth vs. Decay
Regeneration vs. Expiration
aS ABOVE
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SO BELOW
Eternal Ecologies explores the spiritual realms within the ecologies of Earth and manifested as a contemporary altarpiece dedicated to nature. This work highlights the interconnectivity of all life demonstrated through natural elements, systems, cycles and forms, with an emphasis on non-mammalian life. Unlike historical altarpieces, this excludes human or mammalian figures to depict a sense of prehistoric purity of the environment and reconnect viewers to our primordial root of existence.
Much of the inspiration for this is drawn from the visual iconography of religious altarpieces, Vanitas paintings, 19th-century landscapes, central core imagery, and visionary art. This body of work is a visual program that was channeled intuitively, yet every aspect holds and intention, symbolic meaning.
My goal as an artist is to illuminate the essential dichotomies and eternal energies that drive the forces of nature through time and space, reminding us of both our power and our fragility. There are numerous symbolic representations within nature of the impermanence of reality, the trajectory of life, cycles of death and rebirth, and the mystery of the unknown.
Water and life forms are presented as parallels to the evolving stages of our own lifetime, as we are part of nature, while the surrounding light and darkness exhibit divine consciousness. The vibrant, central blossoms pull one’s awareness into the present moment, as encountering a flower or butterfly reconnects one to the here and now. In a time of great uncertainty and growing concern regarding the health of the planet, my intention is to create a visual language that encourages deeper appreciation for our only home and expands perspective on the relationship between Earth and the human experience.
