Acque della Vita

This painting depicts a pastoral scene in which a stream flows into a river flanked by mountains and green hills, where wildlife of various sorts gather; in the corner, a spiderweb hints that we are all a part of the web of life. It was inspired by the recent struggle by the Dakota Sioux Tribe to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline from being routed under the river that passes through their territorial lands. This struggle to maintain the purity of our drinking water is one of universal concern. That “water is life” is not a cliche, but a fact of life on earth. It is hard to believe that anyone could possibly think otherwise. Whoever thought that painting a landscape would be a political act?

Someone recently asked me which of my paintings most reflects humanity’s dependence on nature. My response was “The one I am working on now.” I was referring to the above work which was in its early stages at the time.