This painting of an outstretched arm snapping a selfie portrays the contemporary experience of nature through digital devices. Selfie is about social media and how we use nature as a way to gain popularity and get likes. Even park visitors who strive to leave no trace may not consider how social media “sharing” drives visitors to national parks and causes congestion in places that are valued for their seclusion. Viewers may begin to question their role in nature and how social media “sharing” may be to the detriment of the natural places they are seeking to capture.
This painting is also about how we limit our perspective to the rectangle of the phone. We depend on our technology to "capture the moments" we have with nature and we miss the big picture when we try to condense it into a 3" X 5" (give or take) screen. Too often we let ourselves get busy with the rest of the world, and when we get out in nature we want to freeze frame it rather than try to enjoy it.
Selfie, 2019 | Acrylic on canvas | 14x11 inches
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