ArtQuench Featured Artist Danielle Eubank
I’m headed to Antarctica to paint my final ocean!
Painting the Southern Ocean will culminate a 20-year project to sail and paint all the oceans on the planet to help raise awareness about the plight of our oceans.
The project is One Artist Five Oceans and my Kickstarter campaign launches
Tuesday, October 23 at 8:30am PT.
I will sail to Antarctica in February 2019 to capture my final ocean and complete this goal. I began my quest to paint the Earth’s five major oceans in 2001 and since then, I’ve traveled over 30,000 miles on sea, painted more than 200 bodies of water, and painted water in 22 countries. I am committed to using my art to forward our public conversation about how climate change threatens our seas and what we can do, in our own lives, to support the environment.
Be a part of the solution! I have started a Kickstarter campaign to help offset the cost of the expedition.
he Kickstarter campaign begins Tuesday, October 23 at 8:30am PT.
Climate change has exacerbated global average temperatures, leading to a reduction of crops, increased sea rise and flood risks, decreasing river flow in many rivers, increases in area burned by wildfire in the western United States and a rapid melting-rate of Arctic sea ice. Less ice cover in the Arctic means species endangerment and decreasing albedo leading to amplified global warming.
Santa Monica, Oil on linen, 44×28 inches, 2010
I have made it my life’s work to show the preciousness of water and how critical saving the oceans is to combatting climate change. I began my quest to paint the Earth’s five major oceans in 2001 and since then, I’ve painted more than 250 bodies of water in and around 22 countries. I have been an expedition artist aboard 3 sailing expeditions: Phoenicia, a recreation of a 600 BCE vessel that circumnavigated Africa, The Borobudur Ship, a recreation of an 800 CE Indonesian vessel that sailed from Indonesia to Ghana, and The Arctic Circle, a voyage to the High Arctic on a 3-masted barquentine.
Isle of Mull, Oil on linen, 28×44 inches, 2014
I am committed to using my art to forward our public conversation about how climate change threatens our seas and what we can do, in our own lives, to support the environment. Through the theme of water, I explore natural forms and the consequences of the human footprint on landscapes all over the world as I paint all of the world’s major bodies of water. Destruction surrounds many sites where I paint water. I consider the forms created by water ripples, oil slicks and refuse a foundation for deconstruction. I create patterns within patterns, representing vertical stacks of rhythms in the physical matter I paint. Looking for formal value is my way of coping with the destruction.
Mozambique IX, Oil on linen, 60×72 inches, 2011
I am helping people take small steps to combat climate change. For example, for the Human Impact Institute’s 2018 Creative Climate Change awards earlier this month, I created 24 handheld cards with my artwork on one side and small, simple steps we all can take to help combat climate change, on the other. Changes such as waiting to run the dishwasher until you have a full load and drinking tap water instead of water from plastic bottles make a big impact on our oceans and waterways and take very little effort on our part.
Ny Alesund III, Oil on linen, 28×40 inches, 2016
So, what’s the big deal? According to EcoCivilization.info and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, if everyone on the planet was responsible for emitting 3 tons of carbon dioxide per year that would equal what is naturally absorbed by the ocean, soil, and biomass, thus maintaining an equal amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Arctic XI, Oil on linen, 60×72 inches, 2018
Right now the global average is 4.5 tons of carbon dioxide per person per year. Lowering our emissions from 4.5 tons to 3 tons doesn’t sound too difficult. That would take care of the threat of climate change.
Unfortunately the average person in the United States produces 17.5 tons per person per year. Some countries perform worse, the U.S. is about 10th on the list. However the U.S. has a lot more people than most countries so it’s vital that we lower our carbon dioxide emissions. The biggest driver of creating carbon dioxide is burning fossil fuels: coal, oil, and gas.
So, you may ask, how can I make a difference as an individual? Here are 3 things that you can start doing today.
Move your thermostat down just two degrees in winter and up two degrees in the summer. That could save 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide per year. (source: worldwildlife.org)
Unplug electronic devices when they aren’t in use. About a quarter of all residential energy consumption is used on devices in idle power mode. (source: curbed.com)
Hang-dry clothes instead of using the dryer. If all Americans line-dried for just half a year, it would save 3.3 percent of the country’s total residential output of carbon dioxide. (source: curbed.com)
Arctic X, Oil on linen, 42×60 inches, 2017
There are many things we can do to help. My philosophy is that each of us can do something, however small, to help. That doesn’t mean becoming a saint or living an impossible life that has no relationship to the modern world. It’s imperative to take the time to enjoy and observe the natural environment.
Cape Town Waterfront III, Oil on linen, 38×38 inches, 2004
That’s why I paint water. I am inspired by the natural world. A crack in the tree bark, the color of a beetle’s wing, or a blue snow shadow creates imprints in my mind. Equally, human endeavors, particularly in the arts and sciences, motivate me. Anyone using creative drive to push the boundaries of their field should be applauded.
Pyramiden II, Oil on board,6×6 inches, 2017
My oil on linen paintings deal with the formal qualities of wavelets and curlicues, from bodies of water all over the world. I focus right in, to the basic elements that constitute water. I want people to really look, observe, and hopefully appreciate our most valuable resource. That is a way I can make a difference.
I am continuing my quest to paint Earth’s five oceans. I am scheduled to travel to Antarctica in February 2019 to paint my last ocean, the Southern Ocean, as part of my landmark series, One Artist Five Oceans. I hope that One Artist Five Oceans will help bring awareness to a broader audience about climate change and the state of our oceans.
DanielleEubankArt.com
Kickstarter campaign
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