Ocean & Art — How the Ocean Inspired a Plastic-Free Art Exhibit
As part of Lonely Whale Foundation’s ongoing artist collaborations, painter Lynn Sisler shared how the story of the ocean inspired her creatively.
Artist Lynn Sisler’s new show, Ocean Life-Force; An Artist’s Exploration of Halcyon Days, explores the connection between people and the environment and how its evolved through the years.
Read on to hear how the story of our ocean led Lynn to establish a plastic-free mandate in her exhibit.
How did the message of Lonely Whale / #StopSucking / plastic pollution
effect your work?
As an artist, naturalist, and aspiring writer, I am interested in exploring the history of the relationship between humans and nature. I find clues to this history everywhere. I find them in science and the work that both ancient and modern scientists have done. I find clues in folk tales and legends from all over the world. And I find clues around us today in our modern environmental policies and how people interact and think about animals. When I lived in New York City, I used to go to the Natural History Museum and sketch the animals, marveling especially at the creatures I had never heard of. I became enthralled with the lesser-known animals of the world. Then I would go home and read about them, and it would ignite this childhood-like awe, this wonder and magic about the world. I realized there was this very extensive history between animals and humans. My show Migration Stories and Other Curious Lore, stemmed from a consideration for the scientific, spiritual, and emotional implications of these relationships. Once I became aware of the damage we are doing to our oceans, including the adverse effects plastics are having on the ecosystems, I wanted to create work that could bring some of that awareness to light. “Halcyon Days” is a term for a happy, nostalgic time remembered from the past. My recent show, Ocean Life-Force; An Artist’s Exploration of Halcyon Days, is my personal protest about how humans abuse the oceans, but it seeks to do it through a “be the change you want to see” type of lens. My work is a message of hope for the future.
Do you think the story of plastic pollution is one that resonates with artists?
I feel that the public’s general awareness about plastic pollution and the dire effect it is having on our planet as a whole is becoming greater each day. Historically, artists have creatively and thoughtfully responded to political, social, and deeply personal issues with their art. Artists comment visually on what they feel needs to be shown, changed, or just thought about with perhaps a different perspective. Social change doesn’t happen quickly. And so, yes, I believe that pollution and other environmental abuses are getting more attention in part because artists (and writers) are using their talents to bring a better understanding to the public.
The people of Massachusetts are generally very eco-friendly, and especially where I live in Western Massachusetts (sometimes referred to as the “Tofu Curtain”), the people here care about the preservation of our environment. Though we aren’t living directly next to the ocean like the people of Cape Cod are, the health of the ocean ultimately affects everyone on the planet. Everything is connected.
As someone who lives in an urban environment, does the ocean play a role in your life?
Sylvia Earle, the renowned oceanographer and personal hero of mine, says that the ocean plays a role in everyone’s life on the planet, even if they have never seen the ocean. The ocean is the reason why we can breathe! It acts as a gigantic filter, absorbing carbon dioxide. But the ocean is warming and acidifying, causing all kinds of havoc with the ecosystems, weather patterns, and food chains, which of course ultimately affects everyone whether you live in an urban environment or not.
I think many people in urban places may not really ever think about the ocean simply because they don’t see it or experience it regularly. But we all have a moral obligation to be a steward of the earth, no matter where we live! Studies have shown that exposure to clean air, water, food, and time spent in green space areas such as a parks, forests and lakes create a sense of wellness and happiness. Being in nature lowers stress. My partner Mark and I spend a lot of weekends riding our bikes and hiking in the woods. We deliberately live in a town that has natural beauty all around us. So even if we can’t get to the ocean everyday, those rivers, lakes, streams, and ultimately the landscape that the oceans affect are all tied together.
What is your first memory of the ocean?
To be completely honest, as long as I can remember, I have been afraid of the ocean. I love to go and enjoy the beach, including listening to the waves crash in. But I never wanted to go in. Just this past summer I went to Maine for vacation and did something I have wanted to do…paddle boarding! It was a complete blast! I wasn’t afraid at all. I am also interested in getting my PADI certificate so I can be really brave. I think it would be so incredible to be able to swim with the whale sharks. Maybe I will start with snorkeling…
Do you have a favorite artist that uses water, or the ocean, in their work?
I consider writers to be artists, so I would be remiss in not mentioning some books that I have recently read that were extremely influential on my art; Liz Cunningham’s Ocean Country, Sy Montgomery’s Soul of an Octopus, and Voices in the Ocean by Susan Casey. All of these books do an incredible job of explaining what is happening with our oceans, including the animals within them, in a deeply moving narrative. Debbie Lyddon is a visual artist who works with fabric, metal, wax, and stitching to create objects which she then exposes to the coastal landscape, integrating and utilizing the exposure to seawater and the ocean air to transform her creations. I love how nature “helps” her create her art!
How do you think art can create empathy for our ocean?
Art is very influential. It draws attention to the beauty, power, and magnificence of the ocean and all of the wondrous creatures and plants who live there. Art conveys a strong, emotional message, often without saying a word. I think the most influential art doesn’t scream an opinion…it is more subtle and diplomatic than that. It invites the viewer to think, consider, ponder, and ultimately, it can speak right to their heart.
Lynn Sisler currently lives and works in the Pioneer Valley, Massachusetts. Sisler works predominantly in mixed media paintings, layering materials to give a spiritual and historical feel to her visual stories featuring unusual animals. Lynn Sisler completed a BFA in painting and a minor in Art History from Northern Illinois University in 1991. She has had pieces chosen for several group shows; notably she received the Special Merit Award in Light, Space, Time Gallery’s Animals Exhibition in 2013 and participated in The Satellite Collective’s Telephone: An International Experiment in 2015. Her first solo show in the Pioneer Valley, Migration Stories and Other Curious Lore, opened in 2016. Her most recent show, Ocean Life-Force; An Artist’s Exploration of Halcyon Days, opened October 2017.
