Visualizing the Deterioration of Nature
The Project
This painting is a replica of Georgia O'Keeffe's The Pedernal. The painting is of the Cerro Pedernal, which is a mesa in north-central New Mexico. Throughout her career, O'Keefe captured the landscape of New Mexico, showing close attention to preserving nature. I share a similar care for protecting nature, and wanted this project to raise awareness of the negative impact of energy on the natural world.Therefore, I selected a data set on CO2 emissions in the U.S. per year. The left side of the painting is representative of 1941: the year O'Keeffe painted The Pedernal. The right side reflects 2021, which saw an increase in carbon emissions of 146% relative to 1941. To represent that change, I used this percentage in crystallization filter on Photoshop, applying it to The Pedernal. From there, I created an acrylic painting that shows how carbon emissions are rising in the U.S. These emissions distort the purity of our natural world.