COAL AS SUBJECT

Coal,

Pen and Ink Sketch, 5" x 4"

Looking Inside,

 Acrylic, 22" x 30"

Burning Coal

, Acrylic 9" x 10"

Concern, thought, observation and creativity fuel my artistic work...and speaking of "fuel", the worrisome harm caused by continued mining, transporting and burning of coal remains at the top of my list of subject matters to paint.  My personal experience of deep concern over the damage wrought by the burning and transporting of coal began with a train ride through Poland in 2009 when I was distressed by seeing an ink-black, dead lake caused by dumping of  coal waste.   In addition,  I have counted open, uncovered coal cars traversing miles and miles of pristine waters in Idaho. Hopefully, during the course of the next few months, I hope to visit and see first hand areas in the United States where mountain top removal for coal has severely destroyed the ecosystems.  I know it won't be a happy sight. I actually do possess a large chunk of black anthracite ordered online and which is in my studio being used as a model for sketching and painting.  However, since I do not live near any coal mines nor have actually seen coal burning, I have had to research countless photos online.  I owe a debt of gratitude to the present and past photographers who recorded these coal scenes.