Friday, November 05, 2021

Rising Seas and Oil Spills (Thoughts Behind Ocean, Otters, Oil)

by Gregg Chadwick



"Every child put down your toys
And come inside to sleep
We have to look you in the eye and say we sold you cheap
Let’s confess we did not act
With serious urgency
So open up the floodgates
To the rising seas"
- Rising Seas
Written by Jim Moginie (Midnight Oil)


Gregg Chadwick
40"x40"oil on linen 2021


On walks along California's Central Coast, I often stop and peer into the swirling mix of seaweed and surf looking for the telltale bob of a sea otter as it breaks to the surface. The tap, tap, tap of otters cracking shells across rocks carried on their chests as they float on their backs in the kelp filled water also gives away their location. Sea otters are voracious eaters, clearing coastal seabeds of purple sea urchins that would otherwise decimate the growing kelp forests.  
By keeping the purple urchin population down, sea otters remove kelp's major nemesis. Sea urchins feed on the holdfasts that keep kelp anchored to the bottom of the ocean. Sea otters feed on the purple sea urchins that devour kelp forests. When the sea otter population collapsed after centuries of being hunted for their furs, the entire ecosystem of the Monterey Bay shifted. 
The bay's giant kelp forests disappeared and along with it most of the sea life that they supported and protected. Matt Simon in Wired's November 4, 2021 article on sea otters explains that, "Keeping the urchin population in check preserves the kelp, which is vital for the ecosystem in two main ways. First, the forest is a habitat for fish, which are the food source for birds and other marine mammals, like sea lions. Second, the seaweed is part of what scientists call a blue carbon ecosystem, meaning a coastal or marine area that sequesters carbon."   


Gregg Chadwick
40"x40"oil on linen 2021

To get even closer to sea otters, I love to visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium and their sea otter information and exhibition space. The Monterey Bay Aquarium describes sea otters as aquatic environmentalists: "By munching on urchins, they help kelp forests flourish, and by crunching on crabs, they promote eelgrass in estuaries. But this marine mammal is endangered — and needs our help." The sea otter population along the Central California Coast has rebounded after being feared extinct early in the 20th Century. But a family of resilient sea otters were found near Bixby Bridge in 1938. Due to strong conservation efforts, California's sea otter population has slowly grown to the current number of around 3,000. A combination of legal protection — in 1977 sea otters became protected under the Endangered Species Act — and the efforts of nongovernmental organizations have prompted the sea otter resurgence. But the sea otter's future is still at great risk. Oil spreading south from a single tanker spill near San Francisco or off the pristine Central Coast would threaten the entire California sea otter population. With the recent oil spill in Southern California off Huntington Beach in October 2021, I was reminded how vulnerable our coastal ecosystem is to oil spills and climate change. Coast Guard officials determined that the spill came from a leak in a pipeline owned by Houston-based Amplify Energy that shuttles crude from offshore platforms to the shore. In response to this latest environmental emergency, I created my painting Ocean, Otters, Oil. 


Gregg Chadwick
(Oil Platforms Ellen and Elly Offshore near Long Beach, California)
40"x40"oil on linen 2021

As I painted Ocean, Otters, Oil and other artworks in my Fragile Earth series, I have been listening to the environmentally and socially conscious Australian band Midnight Oil. In 1990 Midnight Oil created a guerilla performance in front of Exxon headquarters in New York City with a banner reading, "Midnight Oil Makes You Dance, Exxon Oil Makes Us Sick," as they played in protest of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. This week Midnight Oil has released a new song about our global climate crisis that illuminates the peril in which we find our fragile earth. This new Midnight Oil song Rising Seas has found its way to the top of my studio playlist and inspires me to keep speaking out, to keep creating, to keep caring about the future of our planet.  





Midnight Oil – Rising Seas (Official Video) ‘Rising Seas’ Available Now: https://MidnightOil.lnk.to/RisingSeas Join Mailing list - https://eepurl.com/cBpcov Website - https://www.midnightoil.com Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/midnightoilo... Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/midnightoil... Twitter - https://twitter.com/midnightoilband Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/72Kyo... Apple - https://music.apple.com/au/artist/mid... Production Company: Hype Republic Director: Cameron March Executive Producer: Macario De Souza Producers: Michaela Le / Macario De Souza DOP: Sean Ryan 1st AD: Murray Robertson 1st AC: Nicholas Jackson 2nd AC: Rebecca Wilson Gaffer: Steve Schofield Grip: Damian Heckendorf Production Assistant/Assistant Editor: Jarred Lammiman Production Assistant: James Elliott Best Boy: Alan Fraser Wardrobe: Simone Turnbull HMU: Lisa Fulginiti Featuring footage courtesy of Greenpeace https://www.greenpeace.org.au/ Full Lyrics Rising Seas (Written by Jim Moginie) Every child put down your toys And come inside to sleep We have to look you in the eye and say we sold you cheap Let’s confess we did not act With serious urgency So open up the floodgates To the rising seas Temperature rising Climate denying Fever is gripping Nobody’s listening Lustre is fading Because nobody’s trading Wall Street is jumping Still the music keeps pumping If you can’t decide Between wrong and right If you can’t see through All that you hold true Queen of the firmament Lord of all beneath Masters of the universe We’re all refugees And in many countries they adore celebrities Open up the floodgates To the rising seas Dinosaur stories Reliving past glories Lusting for gold F-f-fishing for souls They said it was coming We knew it was a-coming If you lift your game Put your toys away Well it looks like rain On that western plain Queen of the firmament Lord of all beneath Masters of the universe We’re all refugees And in many countries they adore celebrities Open up the floodgates To the rising seas #midnightoil #midnightoilband #risingseas

Gregg Chadwick's Ocean, Otters, Oil is on exhibit at Laguna Art in Mission Viejo, California through November 2021 in the group exhibition SOS Save Our Seas. There will be an opening on Saturday, November 6, 2021 from 3-6pm. 

SOS Save Our Seas
Laguna Art 
November 6, 2021
3–6pm Opening Reception
Featuring special musical guest
Bobby Grey and Friends 
555 THE SHOPS AT MISSION VIEJO, MV, CA 92691 suite 928A
TF. 1-888-9-FINEART | Gallery 949-257-9008
info@lagunaart.com

Gallery Hours:
MON - SAT 11AM - 7PM
SUN 12PM - 6PM

Thursday, November 04, 2021

Ocean, Otters, Oil

 


Gregg Chadwick
40"x40"oil on linen 2021



My oil on linen painting "Ocean, Otters, Oil" was painted as a celebration of nature and as a warning of the dangers of oil spills and environmental destruction. The artwork will be displayed through the month of November 2021 in my latest group exhibition 

"SOS - Save Our Seas"at @lagunaartgallery in Mission Viejo, California. 

Please join me at the opening on November 6, 2021 from 3-6 pm.
555 THE SHOPS AT MISSION VIEJO, MV, CA 92691 suite 928A
TF. 1-888-9-FINEART | Gallery 949-257-9008
info@lagunaart.com

Gallery Hours:
MON - SAT 11AM - 7PM
SUN 12PM - 6PM

This artwork is part of a new series of paintings that considers the threats to our planet from Climate Change, greed, hate, and war. There is a mysterious beauty to life itself that I am constantly inspired by.

I first became aware of the fragile nature of our planet as an elementary school student at Linda Vista Elementary School in Mission Viejo, California. For Christmas one year, I asked my parents for the book “Wildlife in Danger” published by the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature). They are still an important organization providing information, plans, and hope for our endangered earth. Worried about the environment as a kid, I drew pictures of animals constantly. Now I am bringing out a series of paintings that shed light on climate change, the beauty of the natural world, and our place with other species. 

Also I was pleased to read today's new article in @wired - The Cutest Way to Fight Climate Change? Send in the Otters
Saving California's adorable (and very hungry) sea otters helps control other species, leading to the growth of more carbon-sequestering vegetation.



#art #SeaOtters #MarineLife #MissionViejo #Irvine #OrangeCounty #OCCulture #climatechange #environment #SaveOurSeas


People of the First Light: The Wampanoags Tell Their Story on the 400th Anniversary of the First Pilgrim Thanksgiving in 1621



Wampum Exhibition at Sea City Museum, Southhampton, UK 
(Created by SmokeSygnals creative agency) 

In today's New York Times, Dana Hedgpeth explains that "for the Wampanoags and many other American Indians, the fourth Thursday in November is considered a day of mourning, not a day of celebration." The Wampanoags helped the Pilgrims survive only to enable "a slow, unfolding genocide of their people and the taking of their land." 

As we reach the 400th anniversary of the first Pilgrim Thanksgiving in 1621, the Wampanoags tell their story at the Mashpee Wampanoag Museum.  On their website the Museum explains that it is located at "the geographic core of the Mashpee Wampanoag people. Eighty-five percent of Wampanoag people live within 20 miles of the Museum." The history and culture of the Wampanoag from the Stone Age to the present are presented in a range of exhibits. Established under the guidance of the Mashpee Historical Commission, the Museum is the only one  devoted exclusively to Wampanoag history. 

Dana Hedgpeth writes that "the Wampanoags, whose name means People of the First Light in their native language, trace their ancestors back at least 10,000 years to southeastern Massachusetts, a land they called Patuxet.

In the 1600s, they lived in 69 villages, each with a chief, or sachem, and a medicine man. They had “messenger runners,” members of the tribe with good memories and the endurance to run to neighboring villages to deliver messages.

They occupied a land of plenty, hunting deer, elk and bear in the forests, fishing for herring and trout, and harvesting quahogs in the rivers and bays. They planted corn and used fish remains as fertilizer. In the winter, they moved inland from the harsh weather, and in the spring they moved to the coastlines."

 
(Created by SmokeSygnals creative agency) 


Paula Peters, who runs the SmokeSygnals creative agency said to Dana Hedgpeth that "when she was 8 years old a schoolteacher explained the Thanksgiving tale. After the story, another child asked, 'What happened to the Indians?'

The teacher answered, ‘Sadly, they’re all dead.’

'No, they’re not,” Paula Peters said she replied. 'I’m still here.'"

Paula Peters and other Wampanoags are keeping their culture and traditions alive through education and advocacy. 




(Courtesy of SmokeSygnals/Plymouth 400)


 Address:
                            414 Main St
                            Mashpee, Massachusetts 02649
 Phone: 508-477-0208

(Courtesy of SmokeSygnals/Plymouth 400)


(
Courtesy of SmokeSygnals/Plymouth 400)

On Robert Mapplethorpe's Birthday

From Maria Popova at Brainpicker: Patti Smith Reads Letter to Robert Mapplethorpe About How He Taught Her What It Means to Be an Artist

“You drew me from the darkest period of my young life, sharing with me the sacred mystery of what it is to be an artist.”




Patti Smith by Robert Mapplethorpe (Courtesy of Tate Museum)


Wednesday, November 03, 2021

Miss Alma Thomas - A Life In Color

Miss Alma Thomas: A Life in Color from Reel Plan/Jon Gann on Vimeo.

For beloved D.C. artist Alma Thomas, beauty wasn’t just about art. It was essential to life, too. Full article by Philip Kennicott here.



Alma Thomas’s “Red Azaleas Singing and Dancing Rock and Roll Music,” 1976. 
(Smithsonian American Art Museum)



Wednesday, October 27, 2021

The War On Drugs - I Don't Live Here Anymore


The War On Drugs' fifth studio album, I Don’t Live Here Anymore, is an uncommon rock album about one of our most common but daunting processes—resilience in the face of despair.
Set for release on October 29, 2021. I'll be painting on Friday with I Don’t Live Here Anymore filling my headphones as I put brush to canvas. Can't wait...




Monday, October 25, 2021

Happy Birthday Picasso!


 


Pablo Picasso Reads About Pablo Picasso.
 Born on this day, in 1881



Sunday, October 24, 2021

Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen talk "Renegades"




 Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen sit down with correspondent Anthony Mason to discuss the influence of their fathers on their life's work, and the shared narratives that drive the surprisingly similar fields of popular music and politics.





"Renegades: Born in the USA," available now!

Friday, October 15, 2021

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - "Driver 8" - Live from Athens, GA



Gregg Chadwick
Coast Daylight
40"x40"oil on linen 2019


Pre-order 'Georgia Blue,' the new covers album from Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit: https://ffm.to/georgiablue All proceeds will benefit Black Voters Matter, Georgia Stand-Up, and Fair Fight. Produced and Directed by Chispa House: https://chispahouse.com/ Director: Andrew Levy Editor: Jason Gaona Camera Op: Jackson Smith Camera Op: Kiki Griffin Camera Op: Alex Smith EP: Sam Birdsong EP: Carter Fontaine EP: Andrew Levy Production: Chispa House

Thursday, October 14, 2021

Adele - Easy On Me (Official Video)


Official Video for "Easy On Me" by Adele. Shop the "Adele" collection here: http://shop.adele.com Listen to "Easy On Me" here: http://Adele.lnk.to/EOM Amazon Music: http://Adele.lnk.to/EOM/AmazonMusic Apple Music: http://Adele.lnk.to/EOM/AppleMusic Deezer: http://Adele.lnk.to/EOM/Deezer iTunes: http://Adele.lnk.to/EOM/iTunes Pandora: http://Adele.lnk.to/EOM/Pandora Spotify: http://Adele.lnk.to/EOM/Spotify YouTube Music: http://Adele.lnk.to/EOM/YouTubeMusic




Follow Adele: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Adele Twitter - https://twitter.com/Adele Instagram - http://instagram.com/Adele https://www.adele.com Lyrics: There ain’t no gold In this river That I’ve been washing my hands in forever I know there is hope In these waters But I can’t bring myself to swim When I am drowning In this silence baby let me in Go easy on me baby I was still a child Didn’t get the chance to Feel the world around me I had no time to choose What I chose to do So go easy on me There ain’t no room For things to change When we are both so deeply Stuck in our ways You can’t deny how hard I have tried I changed who I was To put you both first But now I give up I had good intentions And the highest hopes But I know right now It probably doesn’t even show Credits: Directed by: Xavier Dolan @xavierdolan Video commissioner - Phil Lee @phillee at Untold Studios @untold_studios Executive Producer - Nkem Egbuchiri at Untold Studios @Nkem__nkem Executive Producer - Bryan Younce at Columbia Records Production Company: Sons of Manual/Scheme Engine @schemeengine Executive Producer: Jannie McInnes @janniemcinnes Producers: Nancy Grant, Xavier Dolan @nancygrantbonjour; @xavierdolan Cinematographer: André Turpin @andreturpin Camera Operator: Jean-Sébastien Caron @jeans_caron Production design: Élise de Blois @elisedeblois23 Supervising art director: Carolyne De Bellefeuille @carolynedebellefeuille Stylist: Jamie Mizrahi @sweetbabyjamie Hair: Sami Knight @samiknighthair Make-up: Anthony Nguyen @anthonyhnguyenmakeup Nails: Kimberly Kyees @kimmiekyees Editor: Xavier Dolan @xavierdolan Post: MELS Studio @melsstudios /Flawless Post @flawlesspostproduction #Adele #EasyOnMe