Artist Statement by Laura Pirkl

Interpreting the conceptual piece of writing I have received from another student, I created a painting of mother nature as “zombie”. This is meant to highlight the big problem of environmental destruction and deforestation. The text inspired me to give the representation of zombies a new context, illustrated in this painting. Inspired by the sculptures by artist Debra Bernier, I created faces out of clay to give my trees a true personality, making the audience feel more connected to this problem. Also, the 3D effect of the clay adds an interesting texture to the painting, drawing the viewer closer into the piece. The tree in the middle represents mother nature; her womb is wounded as she is infertile and cannot reproduce nature anymore. This is what we face; the extinction of different species. Artist Bee Bartlett also had a great influence on my piece as her

abstract way of painting creates texture and movement within her piece. Similarly, I have used spatulas and thick layers of paint to recreate such a feeling of movement, to create more of an emotional impact on the audience. Furthermore, I decided to paint the faces in the tree green, to link back to the iconography of zombies within the text I have received. The green also goes with the leaves (moss) of the trees. The moss adds further texture to make this piece more interesting to look at. In terms of colour scheme, I also tried to stick to a warm and orange toned complexion, to connote autumn; the time when trees “die”. Also important is the fact that I decided to use a mirror instead of a canvas, because I wanted to confront the audience with themselves while looking into the message of this piece. They get to see the cause behind the problem of environmental destruction- because we all are responsible.

Link to my blog: https://laurapirklblog.wordpress.com/