THE ICE IS MELTING

MELTING ICE ON GREENLAND GLACIER

MORE MELTING ICE ON GREENLAND GLACIER

Sometimes one is lucky to be able to catch a glimpse of nature in its raw beauty and changing face.  Two years ago, while flying over Greenland, I glanced out the plane’s window and saw, through a brief opening in the cloud cover, azure-colored lakes on top of the Greenland glaciers.  I grabbed my camera and snapped a few photos.  At the time I did not think much about the pictures, but now I know I captured examples of melting ice—a consequence of man’s contribution to our warming planet.

The scientists are learning that the melting of Greenland is accelerating.  As the temperature rises, large lakes form on the surface of the ice.   I was not aware until reading some scientific journals that the snow on the glaciers of Greenland is no longer blinding white!  It is darkening because of  a variety of causes such as the massive pollution residue from the burning of fossil fuels including coal; an increased amount of soot from enormous wildfires; and dust from drought stricken areas. This situation of polluted particles on the ice has serious implications for global warming because it drops the reflectiveness of the Greenland glacial ice.  I also learned over the weekend even the dust stirred up by the bombing of Syria is causing serious air pollution in that area.  Ultimately that dust has to settle somewhere?  Regarding this topic,  please take a moment to read www.theweathernetwork.com’s article on dark snow.  Many other studies have been published about the ice melt in Greenland and below you can find links to just a few that I have read about the topic of global warming.   

NASA has been doing intensive research in the attempt to try to understand the changes that will be forthcoming because of climate change.  As is known by now, some Republicans who lead in Congress are questioning this research.  They continue to deny scientific consensus that humans are causing a warming of the planet. 

I found the following information unsettling--“Interesting to note that our civilization developed and constructed a very extensive infrastructure during a period of unusual climate stability—the Holocene—which was almost 12,000 years in duration.  The question is raised:  IS THAT PERIOD ABOUT TO END?  in the important following study: “Climate Change and Trace Gases”  Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A (2007) 365, 1925–1954 doi:10.1098/rsta.2007.2052 Published online 18 May 2007 (pubs.giss. nasa.gov)

Other articles and videos that I have read:
“Greenland Is Melting Away”  New York Times by CORAL DAVENPORT, JOSH HANER, LARRY BUCHANAN and DEREK WATKINS

http://www.vice.com/video/greenland-is-melting-bonded-labor-000

ipcc.ch  (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (UNFCC)

“Short Answers to Hard Questions About Climate Change”:  New York Times by Justin Gillis  Nov. 28, 2015

www.livescience.com  “Holocene Epoch:  The Age of Man”  March 27, 2013

qz.com:  Bill Gates:  “Why I’m investing $1 billion of my own money into clean energy research”.  August 3, 2015

Artist website: www.maryloudauray.com

PHOTOSHOPPING A PHOTO OF THE SIERRA MOUNTAINS

Sunset over the Sierra Nevada Mountains (Photo taken with iPhone)

Photoshop versions

While flying over the beautiful Sierra Nevada mountains last week I quickly took a photo out the window with my trusty iPhone.  The stunning beauty of the sun casting pink color on the snowy mountain peaks captivated me and I was lucky to capture the view. 

Today, I had a Photoshop lesson and began to digitally adjust the photo.  I do realize that the mountains cannot be made any more beautiful, but I wanted to learn how to do some artistic digital photo techniques!  I am very much enjoying  some of the many ways Photoshop can enhance, change, alter and encourage my creativity. If any of you want to share some ideas on this subject, I would love to hear from you.

www.maryloudauray.com

HERSTORY

The Symbol

A Mother

The March

Usually in my blog I talk about art I am either working on or have finished.  Today, however, I am relating a different kind of story—a saga that has been ongoing for 38 years and to which a symbol or logo has been ascribed:  a white headscarf.

Every single Thursday a group of mothers, sisters, and relatives, wearing white headscarves, and called the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, march around the Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires, Argentina.  They march for justice and to remind the world about the disappearance of their sons and daughters during political violence in the country between the 1970’s and 1980’s.   More than 30,000 people were kidnapped and murdered by Argentinian extremist right-wing groups, or the military government, that seized power in a coup in 1976.

The mothers, in April of 1977, wanted to know what had happened to their children who had begun to disappear.  A group of them spontaneously grabbed each other’s arms and started walking around the plaza in front of the presidential palace.  It was the very first act of a courageous movement.  At the beginning, three of the founding mothers, along with two French nuns and several activists disappeared, were tortured and thrown alive from planes.  Nevertheless, and despite threats, other mothers continued to march. Many of the mothers have now died and some are in their 80’s.  Last Thursday, while visiting Buenos Aires, I happened upon this march and had the privilege of walking along with the mothers and other supporters.  Words cannot describe the overwhelming feeling of sadness I experienced for their losses and as well as profound admiration for their courage, strength and determination.  

CALIFORNIA FIRES AND GLOBAL WARMING

 BURNING COAL  22"w x 30"h acrylic on paper

 IS IT HERE? MY HOUSE? 22"w x 30"h acrylic on paper

BURN  30"w x 22"h acrylic on paper

Global warming’s effects hit hard and furiously this last week here in northern California.  Destructive wildfires burned with an intensity not seen before.  Hundreds of homes were lost, people died, and hundreds of thousands of acres of land burned.  Our governor, Jerry Brown, said that the “raging wildfires in recent weeks draw attention to global warming, highlighting links between hot, dry conditions and the severity of fires.”

For quite some time now I have been painting artworks about the burning, transporting and mining of coal.  Coal pollution  is assuredly one of the major causes of the greenhouse gasses that are warming the surface of our planet.  I feel that the three paintings posted above relate to what we are currently experiencing in California with these monstrous wildfires.  “We are now paying the price for unchecked climate change” according to the League of Conservation Voters. 

SUMMER TRAVELS AND FOUR PAINTINGS

                                                                   COAL USED UP  

                                              FOUR CANVAS PANELS  16" x 16"  OIL 

Summer Travels and Four Paintings

My recent travels transported me from the shores of California to the beaches of New England; from the seaside in France, Malta, Sardinia, and Italy to the blue waters in Greece.   Along the way I took many photographs, some of which I am hoping will eventually be incorporated into my artwork.   As I went from place to place, I kept my eyes wide open to see and experience what culture surrounded me. 

Even though I was fortunate enough to travel to intriguing and lovely environs,  it was impossible for me to bury or eliminate a continuing troubling undercurrent about how human-centered activities are smothering our planet’s life. Ideally, I should not even have been creating more of a carbon footprint by getting on an airplane and flying to distant lands!  This is a dilemma.

Since I have been doing art work for the past 18 months about the use, transporting, and mining of coal, upon returning to my studio I continued on this path by painting  a four-paneled oil art piece.  This work illustrates my view of the continuing environmental destruction caused by burning coal.  The first panel shows  a blue sky surrounding a large piece of coal.  The last section depicts a black sky smothering the small remaining lump of coal.   Scientists, geologists and others are very alarmed about the extremely rapid and destructive mining, and subsequent use, of minerals and deposits that have taken millions of years to form. Once these minerals and fossil fuel deposits are depleted, they will be gone forever.    

I am also trying to help counter, in some small way, the depressing facts and statistics about the condition of our planet. I have been posting on the Internet numerous articles of the good work, inventions and products people are developing that might help in reducing man-made greenhouse gasses. I am also writing an environmental column for www.manhattanarts.com at the following site: www.healing-power-of-art.org.  There you can read stories about artists who are devoting their talent and energies to raising awareness about various aspects of the downturn in our environment.
I am inspired by Dorothea Lange’s beautiful comment:  “Art is a byproduct of an act of total attention” and certainly my art focus these days has been primarily on climate disruption.

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