Rachel Karr

In brightly colored gouache landscape paintings, I create a surreal juxtaposition of the familiar and the alien. These landscapes bear a striking resemblance to earthly locations, yet they are transformed by the presence of otherworldly skies and a vivid neon palette. My artistic intention is to provoke contemplation, using color to convey the profound messages hidden within these fantastical scenes.The choice of neon hues serves a dual purpose. Their artificiality alludes to the prevalence of the un-natural in our daily lives from the flavorings in our foods to plastics found in most consumer goods. As organisms such as  birds and flowering plants utilize vibrant colors in nature to seduce mates and pollinators, these vistas pull the viewer in with candy colored scenes. In this context, the colors in my paintings stand in for the temptations of the fast and cheap products marketed to us as solutions to all of our problems. The rainbows that often grace the skies offer a glimmer of hope, however intangible, a belief that our environment can still be cleansed and revitalized. Yet, nestled within these vibrant worlds are eerie black portals, ominous reminders of the lurking dangers that lie beneath the surface. These portals feature the only use of black paint, embodying the inky petroleum pumped from the depths of the Earth. They are the black fine print chemicals on your food package, the percentages of petroleum based fabric on your clothing label, the whirling gyre of garbage swirling in the Pacific Ocean. In these artworks, I hope to awaken viewers to the pressing need for change. They are a testament to our shared responsibility to protect and preserve our fragile Earth, to recognize the consequences of our choices, and to act swiftly to mitigate the damage we have done. My gouache landscapes serve as a vivid reminder that there is no "Planet B," and it is our duty to ensure the future of the only home we have ever known.