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Using art for therapy has helped me, not with just being able to express grief and despair but also as a way of protesting about important issues, particularly to do with the environment.  It becomes a way of being able to vocalise concern, fear and doubt; to bring about awareness.

Painting No. 49 – Titled “Salvage Code Red” July 2010, acrylic on canvas as featured below was inspired by the man-made disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, fifty miles off the coast of Louisiana – April 20, 2010 (Time. 2014). It was the largest Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig crude oil spill in US History. There were 126 people on board the floating oil rig when the explosion occurred. This disaster cost the lives of 11 men on the burning rig. The disaster griped the entire world as the crude oil was spewing out from the ocean floor sea bed. “At the time of the explosion, the rig was producing up to 336,000 gal. of oil a day and carrying some 700,000 gal. of fuel oil” (Time. 2014). The final report of this man-made disaster showed that poor management was the cause of this dreadful environmental disaster.

It was after viewing many news media images, over a matter of months, that inspired me to do a painting of this man-made disaster.  I used red and yellow colour in the painting to represent fire, destruction and loss of life. The brown and charcoal grey colour is representative of the oil sludge which had carved its way through the ocean towards the shoreline; suffocating the life out of the sea. And the blue colour – is the portions of oceans, struggling to regain its majesty, dominance and breath…

Painting No. 49 – Title “Salvage Code Red” July 2010 – by Abstract Artist: Karen Robinson NB: All images are protected by copyright laws!

Painting No. 49 – Title “Salvage Code Red” July 2010 – Acrylic on Canvas – 137cms Length x 81cms Wide x 3cms Deep by Abstract Artist: Karen Robinson NB:  All images are protected by copyright laws!

This image below of a poor pelican, covered in sludgy oil, is a clear example how devastating this man-made disaster impacted on wildlife.  Many other forms of wild life such sea turtles, dolphins struggled with the sludgy oil on the ocean surfaces which had spewed from the Gulf of Mexico’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill (National Geographic. 2010, June 8).

“Oil Weighing Down Wildlife” – National Geographic Daily News Photo ID – gulf-oil-spill-killing-wildlife-brown-pelican-wings_21352_600x4501.jpg.

The loss of human life and wildlife, along with the terrible impact on the ocean’s resources, beach fronts within the Gulf of Mexico’s shore lines; and the devastating impacts on the lively hoods of thousands of people, was a message to us all about the risks we are taking with our natural resources, with our planet’s wellbeing.  How long can we go on doing this?

Whilst you are here – please check out my home page!  My Art Therapy Journey – A window into the soul of an Abstract Artist through art therapy and storytelling…by Karen Robinson

References:

McNamee, W. (2010, June 8). Getty Images. National Geographic. Daily News. Gulf Oil Spill Pictures:  Birds, Fish, Crabs Coated. [Photo ID:  Oil Weighing Down Wildlife]. Retrieved July 19, 2014 from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/06/photogalleries/100608-gulf-oil-spill-environment-birds-animals-pictures/?rptregcta=reg_free_np&rptregcampaign=20131016_rw_membership_n1p_intl_ot_w#

Time. (2014). 100 Days of the BP Spill:  A Timeline. Day 1. Retrieved July 19, 2014 from http://content.time.com/time/interactive/0,31813,2006455,00.html

Five. (2010, Jul 4). Oil Disaster The Rig That Blew Up 2010. Retrieved July 7, 2014 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=So–O0g2860