I’ve been planning this series for 14 years – since I moved to LA and saw my first dead palm leaf lying in the road after a windstorm.
I though it was roadkill.
Palm leaves were alien to me. How could a plant look so … animal? A closer look at the base reveals richly colored, swirled woodgrain, contrasted with the mathematical repetition of the palms. My illustration series usually pair objects or concepts in a surreal way, but the palm leaves were sufficient in themselves. They were elegant in their gestural decay, after falling from the lofty glory of the sunny, Southern California heights.
They made me think of homeless people on the LA streets.
They made me think of my own place in society as a middle-aged woman, the constant messaging of obsolescence.
Then the election happened.
Half the country elected a felon who bragged about assaulting women. Half the country elected someone who promised to threaten my trans kid, removing protections and health care access. Half the country decided science was no longer ‘real’, and that it was fine if my husband’s job was threatened by defunding the NIH.
Half the country voted to destroy our checks-and-balances, our civil rights, our social safety nets, our journalists, our courts, our schools, our democracy, the very planet we live on.
This wasn’t some sports game. This was our future. All of our futures together.
Will we get a chance to fix it next election? Maybe. But time is running out on some things, and it takes so little time to destroy, and so much more time to create. There’s so much to do.
So there’s my hook for this series.
Yes, they’re still palm leaves.
But now they’re angry.
6 responses to “Palm Leaves React to the Election”
-
-
I sympathize with you and fear the next four years where so much damage can be done. Your drawings are wonderful, one almost a landscape and others resembling the human body a la O’Keeffe. I’m inspired to spend more time doing art like you!
-
-
-
Love the energetic lines and boldness of these palms they are not decaying but full of life! I have often imagined stitching together the large brown pieces into a rustic suit of armor or shoulder pads — they are so sculptural.
-
Nice work! I love the palm leaves throughout their different phases and how on the islands they are used to make hats and baskets.
This art collection reminds me of the aftermath of Hurricane Irma and how the next 4 years may feel like we have to prepare and hunker down with family and friends to survive.
I pray there are still some sane Republicans who will keep the blowhard in check.
Leave a Reply