2012
Graphite on Museum Board
40 x 60”

Gaia is the Greek goddess who first drew the world from chaos, breathing life and form into matter. James Lovelock proposed the Gaia Principle in 1972. This principle states that all living organisms interact with the surrounding inorganic environment, creating a self-regulating system that maintains the climate and biochemical conditions that make life on Earth possible. 

This drawing evolved while I lived in Florida, ground zero for climate change. I sailed to Florida from Chicago forty-two years ago on a 25-foot sailboat and lived aboard for years. I have seen the changes in climate due to massive development — more and more concrete reflecting heat. Sea water levels are rising — causing more intense flooding. The daily rain and weather patterns that once cooled down the peninsula have changed.   

Gaia is not happy.

My Gaia drawing is from my Surface Tension collection—large drawings made from graphite, a carbon substance that shimmers like petroleum. The interconnected images and textures make you think about the premise of the Gaia Theory. All organisms on earth are interconnected — organic and inorganic — and when one is sick, the entire system suffers.

In 1957, James Lovelock invented the electron capture detector. This small machine measured tiny amounts of chlorine-based chemicals in the air, leading to the discovery of toxic chemicals in food, water, and soil. The detector helped scientists determine that chemicals emitted from aerosols and refrigerants depleted the ozone layer. Lovelock later used the device to confirm that industrial pollutants caused smog. 

Lovelock’s Gaia Principle introduced the concept of global warming. Emissions and chemicals burn the ozone layer and create the greenhouse effect — Warming the earth and changing our environment. The evidence is clear — using fossil fuels as our primary energy source is changing our ecosystem. 

Gaia wants us to wake up and pay attention to the possibilities of alternative energy resources.