The planet Earth is a dwindling repository of natural treasures: lavishly forested land, powerful rivers and oceans, vast skylines and clean air, and majestic wildlife. As one in awe of such beauty and concerned with conservation of all natural resources and life forms, I feel a sense of commitment toward helping to engender greater public understanding of the interrelatedness of all natural resources and species on our planet.
In my work, the vehicle I use most consistently to promote this awareness is the mandala. In Sanskrit (the primary liturgical language of Hinduism), mandala means circle and center. As such, it is a universal symbol of wholeness, unity, and the reintegration of opposites. Mandalas have been used cross-culturally throughout history as a means of establishing balance and promoting unity and healing while depicting the cyclic nature of existence.
The promotion of the continuing existence of all species is a focal point in my work as an artist. With our agents of technology (both military and industrial) threatening us with extinction, I believe art should work in helping to eliminate such threats to our collective existence and turn the world into a sanctuary for all life forms. Art should help our global community view its present condition with an evolving reverence for life that makes it possible to have a world that works. Through art, we can promote the awareness of the interdependence of all natural resources and life forms.
I am vitally concerned about the welfare of wildlife and animals and have attempted to promote their chances of health and survival through my art. Within the framework of the mandala, my work focuses upon portraying endangered and threatened species of wildlife and their interrelatedness with all life forms. Several pieces have been commissioned and published by Greenpeace. My work with Greenpeace has afforded me the opportunity to present my images to the global community in the hope of inspiring reverence for all life forms and natural resources.
By broadening the scope of our vision through artistic means and engaging the hearts and minds of our global community, we can foster in children and adults the optimism that the future is a viable possibility within the framework of a world living in harmony with itself. The fate of Earth is the creative responsibility of each one of us. And our eclectic vision, combined with initiative and responsible action, can help us face the future with a sense of reverence and courage, rather than fear, in relation to the mysteries of the universe and the course of our own existence within it.
Sending love and light,
Jim
