EOS
2011
Graphite on Museum Board
40 x 60”

Eos is the Greek goddess of the dawn that rose to the sky each morning on the banks of the river Oceanus — delivering light while dispersing the night. Eos was known for her insatiable desire for handsome young men. She is known for not wanting to get out of bed in the morning, like the sun poking its rays around the horizon. 

The earth absorbs enough power from the sun in one hour to power the world for a year. Solar panels are made of photovoltaic cells that generate electrical power from the sun. Investing in solar systems is a monetary and environmental benefit.

The word petroleum literally means rock oil or oil from the earth. Fossil fuels originate from layers of deceased rotten stuff — hundreds of millions of years old. Our lives are dependent on power generated from really old dead things. This fuel is efficient but not limitless — powerful but polluting.

When oil is introduced into the ocean, it spreads. How far it spreads depends on the surface tension. Stanislav Patin, an international expert on marine pollution, stated that “The marine environment handles oil much like a human body handles alcohol: destroying, metabolizing and depositing the excessive compounds —in oil's case, hydrocarbons—then transforming the compounds into safer substances.”

Eos challenges you to think about these two opposing forces — solar from above and petroleum from below. I composed intertwining images and textures to present the struggle between these opposing forces. Thinking differently, using our imagination, and acting on alternative strategies will save our money and livelihoods.

The horrific wildfires in Maui are one of the warnings of the results of the greenhouse effect. The island of Maui sued Exxon and other oil companies, starting in 2020, for a “coordinated, multi-front effort to conceal and deny their own knowledge” of the dangers of burning fossil fuels. The increasing risk of destructive wildfires was cited in the lawsuit no less than eight times.

Think like EOS.