Soft Pastel on Pastel mat paper

 Image size  76 cm X 50 cm

It has always seemed to me that as artists we tend to create best that which is closest to our heart. While that may be true the real meaning and content of the artwork is frequently not obvious to the artist until we have time to sit back and contemplate it fully.
I work really hard using my art to educate and motivate people to care about our planet and the problems which we humans frequently create, with little thought for ecology and the ongoing implications of human actions.
The basic truth of existence is that whatever we do (or do not do) comes with attendant consequences…. the ripple effect if you like.
As  Sir David Attenborough has often said….’The idea of infinite growth in a finite system is the idea of a lunatic…. or an economist!’ Our planet is indeed a finite system and greedy capitalist consumption and ever-growing human populations are bringing terrible consequences ever closer to our species.
Now Mother Theresa famously said it is true that small things taken collectively do make a big difference. So, my small thing which is art, exists to bring greater awareness to other people in the hope they will act mindfully and in a positive, regenerative way.
I hardly need to tell you just how crazy it would be to keep goldfish in the illustrated conditions but it seems to me that is precisely what we do with humans in big city apartments and high-density housing. It truly is not sustainable. At this point I hasten to clarify that these fish were kept in the preserving jars for just two minutes and then were taken back to the people who cared for them properly.
I guess you will all see this pastel painting of mine in different ways and look forward to hearing what you may think about it.