We Are One 2009

How we see the world around us and how we view that world determines how we interact with it. If we respect it, we appreciate our surroundings. We show our respect by taking care of the things we enjoy. We Are One is a series through which I explore this concept. The meditative result of nature photography, combined with the injection of a live person into the images, will hopefully engage the viewer in a dialogue regarding our individual and collective roles in the fate of the Earth's ecology. My work attempts to explore the relationships and interdependence of people with one another. I intend to use the skin canvas to convey the inherent oneness of humankind and engage the viewer to become more connected to them and consequently to each other.
We Are One utilizes the innovation of body painting, i.e., using the skin as a canvas, to speak to the concept of the unity of man with nature as visual art and performance, integrating the human form within Texas landscapes in the spring. The exhibition vehicle combines photographic images of people blended into the Houston landscape and surrounding areas printed on a brushed aluminum substrate and an installation that communicates the process. The purpose is to bring the viewer on a journey through the countryside of Houston to investigate the relationship between man and nature. An Individual Artist Fellowship funded the work for this series through the Houston Arts Alliance, and it was on display in February of 2010 at M Squared Gallery in Houston Heights.