Nature
When first hearing the term “nature”,
I think of oak trees and the smell of honeysuckles, but when I think
of honeysuckle and oak, I don't think “nature”. I think “home”.
In my case, I associate nature very closely with home because I was
surrounded by nature as a child. The South is brimming with nature.
Although I did not grow up in Mobile, AL, my roots are there and as a child I spent much of my time there for holidays and weekends. In Mobile, the oak trees practically connect the entire city. Mobile's infrastructure would be completely demolished if one tried to uproot just the oak trees. I spent my summers on Mobile Bay. I'll never forget the smell of briny water or the feeling of cutting my foot on an oyster shell. As much blood, tears, and sweat as those hot July day took from me, they gave back by giving me sweet watermelon and fresh crabs pulled right from the crab trap.
Having 6 older brothers in this gave me a new look on playing on the beach too. Rather than building sand castle we caught crabs and dug a hole to try to make them fight in. Humans might have dominance over such small creatures as crabs, but a crab's pinch still hurts like hell.
I believe that humanity can take from nature to help, but that there is a point where taking from nature will eventually hurt, like the crab's pinch when we pushed it too far.
Humanity is very focused on the now. Now we can cut down more trees and take more fish out of the ocean. But nature does not move as rapidly as humanity. We need to understand that and adjust ourselves to operate more or less on the same timescale.
I believe that nature affects man just as man affects nature. In my experiences, nature affects me aesthetically. I am mesmerized by the millions of colors that seem as though they could never possibly occur naturally. The incredible variety in shades of green in a single garden. My art reflects my interest in the beauty of nature. Especially the nature around me - that is – species native to the South. Many of my paintings express this beauty as you can see below.
Although I did not grow up in Mobile, AL, my roots are there and as a child I spent much of my time there for holidays and weekends. In Mobile, the oak trees practically connect the entire city. Mobile's infrastructure would be completely demolished if one tried to uproot just the oak trees. I spent my summers on Mobile Bay. I'll never forget the smell of briny water or the feeling of cutting my foot on an oyster shell. As much blood, tears, and sweat as those hot July day took from me, they gave back by giving me sweet watermelon and fresh crabs pulled right from the crab trap.
Having 6 older brothers in this gave me a new look on playing on the beach too. Rather than building sand castle we caught crabs and dug a hole to try to make them fight in. Humans might have dominance over such small creatures as crabs, but a crab's pinch still hurts like hell.
I believe that humanity can take from nature to help, but that there is a point where taking from nature will eventually hurt, like the crab's pinch when we pushed it too far.
Humanity is very focused on the now. Now we can cut down more trees and take more fish out of the ocean. But nature does not move as rapidly as humanity. We need to understand that and adjust ourselves to operate more or less on the same timescale.
I believe that nature affects man just as man affects nature. In my experiences, nature affects me aesthetically. I am mesmerized by the millions of colors that seem as though they could never possibly occur naturally. The incredible variety in shades of green in a single garden. My art reflects my interest in the beauty of nature. Especially the nature around me - that is – species native to the South. Many of my paintings express this beauty as you can see below.
Humanity also reflects nature in many ways. We have the same physiological needs as animals: food, water, shelter, procreation, sleep, and homeostasis. Even humanity anatomy reflects nature. Not only do we follow the same basic pattern as other mammals, but different parts of our bodies reflect other structures in nature. Many artists have noticed this as well, the most common example being Georgia O'Keefe's paintings where flowers very closely resemble female reproduction organs. Photographer Suren Manvelyan, however, takes macro photographs of the human eye reminiscent of sights in nature e.g. desert-like landscapes, roots of trees, moss, or even the cosmos.