Oil drums, 2016. Digital photo collage. Kelly Heaton
A mountain of empty oil drums are a drum circle waiting to happen.
save the planet
open studio: coral reef /
Coral Reef, 2016. Digital photo collage. Kelly Heaton
Protect our rich natural heritage. Heaven isn't somewhere we go when we die; it's right here, right now, and we're all at risk of going to Hell if we don't take care of the environment.
open studio: wish you were here /
Wish You Were Here, 2016. Digital photo collage. Kelly Heaton
Vintage resistors hamming it up on a trashy beach. The ocean is green due to toxic algal bloom, but never mind. Electricity doesn't like water, anyway.
open studio: destination wedding /
Destination Wedding, 2016. Digital photo collage. Kelly Heaton
Coral reefs have it bad. Coral is suffering from so many different problems, it's hard to be optimistic about the existence of reef ecology beyond this century. Increased temperatures and UV radiation lead to bleaching; water pH (think acid rain) disintegrates coral; chemical-run off is poisonous; biological waste supports algal growth where it does not belong; fisherman actually detonate underwater explosives to "catch" fish; fishermen also douse coral with cyanide to paralyze fish for capture; boats gouge coral with propellors and anchors; sediment from erosion and dredging smothers coral; people collect coral; swimmers stand on reefs without realizing their fragility; and then there's trash.
Snorkeling is one of my favorite activities. It's like entering another world, full of color, texture and sculptural form. There are few experiences more amazing than exploring a living reef. Unfortunately, it is ever-harder to find reefs that are healthy ... but there I go sinking into environmental depression. I need to make more pretty and humorous images. Vorwärts!
open studio: catching UV rays /
Catching UV Rays in at Tired Beach, Colorado (2016). Digital photo collage. Kelly Heaton
Technically, we can't see UV... but if we could, it would look something like extremely rich purple. The good news about big holes in the ozone layer is that we will have plenty of opportunity to train (more likely evolve) our eyes to see weird photons. Seeing as the oceans will rise a good amount, I figure that Colorado could have some nice beachfront property. I hear that they have a massive dump of old tires in Colorado, a "tire graveyard" as they morbidly call it. Tires are very slow to decompose and are not prone to erosion like soil or sand. What a great place to relax in the late Anthropocene!
open studio: sometimes all i need is the air /
Sometimes All I Need is the Air, 2016. Digital photo collage (sketch). Kelly Heaton
A romantic encounter in the late Anthropocene, after much of the ozone layer has been destroyed and land is flooded. Increased electromagnetism in the atmosphere will support beautiful Aurora Borealis.
open studio: pretty bad /
Pretty Bad, 2016. Digital photo collage (sketch). Kelly Heaton
I'm old enough to remember when water was free. Bottled water started appearing in the late 1970s as a gourmet fad (think Evian and Perrier). I thought it was a ridiculous luxury product, even more absurd when they started to bottle plain water. Tap water is safe and free. I get why people drink bottled water in countries where sanitation is a concern, but here in the USA? Wikipedia says "The U.S. is the largest consumer market for bottled water in the world, followed by Mexico, China, and Brazil. In 2008, U.S. bottled water sales topped 8.6 billion US gallons (33,000,000 m3) for 28.9% of the U.S. liquid beverage market, exceeding sales of all other beverages except carbonated soft drinks, they are followed by fruit juices, and sports drinks. Americans drink 21 US gallons (79 L) of bottled water per capita per year." Forget the waste of money, it's just plain bad behavior.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bottled_water
open studio: climate turner /
Climate Turner, 2016. Digital photocollage (sketch) using trash, smog, wires, electronic components and the composition of J. W. Turner's painting "Peace - Burial at Sea," from 1842.