Nancy Loughlin

Gallery Affiliations: Linda Hodges Gallery

Region: Pacific Coast

The present work entitled ìDominion, Desire and Decorî is based on the interconnections and growing distance between nature and modern societyís artificial ënature.í As forests and environments shrink we turn more and more to managed parks, reconstructed forests, birdfeeders, and butterfly gardens. We are more comfortable surrounding ourselves with objects that reflect nature then living in direct contact with nature. We are collectors.

Nature as a force is not voiceless or powerless; it is more than an ëempty canvasí into which society and culture are constructed. I have reversed the theistic contention that humans have ìdominionîover nature and the animal kingdom in favor of nature ruling the world. How we must live in a larger ecosystem then our own personal preserve (home) is a theme I examine.

My imagery is conceptually-based inviting the viewer to consider issues such as encroachment, artificial landscapes, excessive consumerism, animal behavior, surrogate desires, and preservation.

I am interested in how nature responds to our actions as a species. Our ëDesiresí fuel technology, consumerism, and urban growth, and because of our needs we attempt to organize nature into something of our making, something ìartificialî like our landscaped yards or plastic plants in the office. We surround ourselves with ëDecorí, then discard it, and desire it again in a never ending cycle of desire. I imagine an environmental revolution and ask who will lead the new stewardship?