Description
Three giclée prints on hot press paper
12" x 18" each, unframed
Artist: Addison Wagner
In the face of environmental degradation and climate change, I often struggle to identify the value of my individual impact and uncover meaning in my work, particularly my art-making. The purposeful and direct efforts required to mitigate environmental losses have always felt out of sync with producing art, which is an ambiguous and somewhat idiosyncratic practice. But in recent years, I’ve found art and environmental work overlapping in unexpected ways, specifically in the discovery of sustainable farming.
My interest in farming was born out of a combination of factors: my alma mater’s placement in rural Ohio, a love for spending time outside, a preference for hands-on labor, and pleasure in witnessing the results of that labor. I see this type of environmentally beneficial farming as being artistic – it requires careful observation and a deliberate and thoughtful investment of time and energy. That appreciation for the work itself and belief in the final product are principles that I hope to carry into my art-making.
In my recent drawings, I’ve continued to explore these connections between art and farming by creating life-sized portraits of livestock. I believe agriculture is at its most artful when interactions between humans and nature move beyond being simply exploitative or restorative. When farming is a collaborative effort between people and the environment – a collaboration in which both parties have the potential to benefit – then the work becomes truly “meaningful”. I’ve come to understand that this collaboration is only possible when there is a familiarity with and respect for the plants, animals and ecosystems in question. I see sustainably-farmed livestock as being representative of this goal. In many ways, our culture has reduced livestock to the lowest form of animal. In treating livestock as if they were un-living, unfeeling objects, we neglect our connection to our own animal qualities. If we ignore the parts of ourselves that are similar to these animals, we may be losing perspective on our status within the entire biological system.
These drawings seek to challenge these anthropocentric impressions by presenting livestock in an unconventional way. Through the concentrated study of these animals, and the time required to translate these details onto paper, I hope to elevate them in the eyes of the viewer. My goal is to capture a sense of the attention, care and respect that went into raising the animals, who are residents of Fox Hollow, a sustainable farm that is owned and operated by the Rickard family in Fredericktown, Ohio. In constructing a system that’s both a business and an ecological community, the Rickards have become colleagues and kin with the living things that make up their farm. While still indirect in their impact, my hope is that the drawings speak to this understanding of these animals and ecosystems as worthy of our thought, consideration and respect. Through the love and care given to this expression, my wish is to spark a similar impulse in others.
addisonwagner.com
Fine Print
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Bid History
- Paddle#163$350
- Paddle#145$325
- Paddle#106$300
- Paddle#255$275
- Paddle#163$225
- Paddle#191$200
- Paddle#106$175
- Paddle#191$150