Meet 2 Environmental Artists!
By: Vrinda Mahajan
To discuss the intersection of environmentalism and art, we sat down with artists Jane Clark and Samantha Belilty, both of whom are participating in our Eco.Art fundraiser. Based in Pennsylvania, Jane is a teacher and architect in addition to being an artist, and her trademark in her work is her utilization of bold colors and compelling use of geometric shapes to portray nature. Samantha, who resides in Florida, is engaged in both communications and wildlife conservation. Her multi-medium art strives to highlight today’s relevant social issues.
First, we wanted to understand why these artists believe making environmental artwork is an effective medium of advocacy. Jane feels that art communicates the topic in a way words cannot, saying, “People understand information by using multiple senses at once. Seeing the beauty and also the destruction in our world speaks so much more than words ever can.” Jane expresses that when it comes to climate change, she is most concerned about the loss of biodiversity and rates of plastic pollution. “This idea of living in the now without any regard for future generations is not only selfish, it is simply ignorant,” she adds. Jane hopes that by capturing the beauty of ecosystems and our Earth in her pieces, she will inspire her viewers to preserve such biodiversity. When crafting a piece, she also creates “a visual language that represents the uniqueness, beauty, damage and loss.”
Geometric Ecosystems: 9 painting collection
By: Jane Clark
Samantha views art as the starting point for change, saying, “Art is very universal…. Art is a way to facilitate conversation, and that’s really the first step to creating any change.” Like Jane, Samantha wants her work to display the beauty of nature. “Having people care about something, I think, is critical to taking steps to protect it.” Beyond art, Samantha also works at an organization that protects biodiversity. Surrounded by Florida’s wonderful biodiversity, in fact, is where Samantha gets a lot of her artistic inspiration. She is currently undergoing a change in artistic styles, a transition that consists of experimenting with numerous different mediums and techniques. She compares making art to working out and muscle memory, saying that the more often you create art, the more expressive and creative your art will be. She shares her excitement for presenting one of her pieces, A Contaminated Network, at the Eco.Art Gallery.
“A Contaminated Network”
By: Samantha Belilty
“It's all about pollinators and how we’re all connected,” she shares. “Which, you know, we are. We get our food from pollinators, they’re super important, but they’re in decline.” She also reveals that another piece featured in the Gallery, a portrait of her inspiration Jane Goodall, is more reflective of her new experimentative style.
“Young Jane”
By: Samantha Belilty
To witness the work of these two talented artists and others, view our Eco.Art Virtual Gallery and place a bid in our silent auction, which will be live through September 22, 2022.
You’ll also have a chance to meet these artists at our Eco.Art Extravaganza, taking place on September 22nd at 7:30pm ET / 4:30pm PT. Get your ticket here: https://www.ecologicprograms.org/events/ecoart-a-night-of-artistic-expression