Combers Beach, Pacific Rim Plastic Series

Oil on 24" birchwood round with plastic picked up in the area of the beach that I painted.

"What We Leave Behind" Pacific Rim Plastic Series; Combers Beach

My desire to travel again, after the Covid 19 imposed travel restrictions, took me to the beaches of Pacific Rim Park, the ancestral territory of the Nuu-chah-nulth people. I was at first breathtaken by the beauty of the area but then deeply saddened by the amount of plastic washed up on the beach. Around the same time, I was listening to a TED talk by Dallas Arcand on "Living a Circular Life." My choice of canvas was inspired by this talk as the canvas soon began to represent to me Mother Earth. Upon looking at this ocean scene it became obvious to me that the circle is broken. Have we lost respect and connection to nature? Arcand in his talk encourages every individual to find some way to reconnect to nature. An awareness of our impact on nature, and in this case the beaches of Pacific Rim Park, is a step towards finding a way towards a complete circle and ultimately a healthier existence with nature and Mother Earth.