A VISUAL LANGUAGE SPEAKING FOR THE CLIMATE, NATURE AND HER WILD CREATURES

ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY STATEMENT

Climate change, ocean pollution, habitat loss and the current rapid rate of extinction have devastating implications as the biggest challenges we face. We must act with urgency to resolve these critical concerns, as our planet is fast approaching irreversible tipping points. Biodiversity forms the web of life that we depend on, it is essential to the healthy functioning of ecosystems around the world and is the result of 4.5 billion years of evolution. Over half of global GDP is dependent on nature, but nature is in crisis. The main driver of biodiversity loss is human activity and climate change is an increasingly important factor which depends on biodiversity as part of the solution, so the two are interlinked. The web of life on this planet is intricately connected. Scientists predict that humanity’s footprint may cause the loss of 50% of all species by the end of the century. Species extinction does not happen in isolation. Humanitarian crises, food insecurity and forced displacement which disproportionately affect the Global South means that we are all racing extinction and we cannot afford to lose.

Floods and uncontrollable wildfires are becoming an expected part of our seasonal calendars and occur on every continent except Antarctica. Most regions experience weather conditions conducive to the outbreak of a wildfire at some point in the year. Wildfires in ecosystems like peatlands and rainforests, which store large amounts of irrecoverable terrestrial carbon, release vast quantities of CO2 into the atmosphere, exacerbating global warming. In this way, wildfires may accelerate the positive feedback loop in the carbon cycle, making it more difficult to halt rising temperatures. The devastating news that in some areas the Amazon is emitting more carbon than it is absorbing highlights why the world must urgently get to grips with the climate crisis and rapidly slash emissions in the 2020s to have a chance of a safe future. The WMO State of the Climate 2024 Update once again issued a Red Alert at the sheer pace of climate change in a single generation, turbo-charged by ever-increasing greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere. 2015-2024 is the warmest ten years on record; the loss of ice from glaciers, sea-level rise and ocean heating are accelerating; and extreme weather is wreaking havoc on communities and economies across the world. 2025 was the hottest January on record despite being a La Niña year leading scientists to consider that we may already have entered an accelerated period of global warming. It was 1.75°C above the pre-industrial level and was the 18th month in the last nineteen months for which the global-average surface air temperature was more than 1.5°C above the pre-industrial level.

The window for action to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels, as laid out in the historic COP21 Paris Agreement is rapidly closing.

ARTIVISM

Art does not exist in a vacuum, and now more than ever it is the role of an artist to hold a mirror up to the critical issues of our time, using artwork as a vehicle for a larger purpose. The international language of art is an extraordinary agent for discourse around momentous and difficult topics such as climate change and biodiversity loss. As an industry and as individuals we must act urgently to reduce the impact on the environment of travel, shipping, materials and energy.

I work in collections which represent my own identity and values, collating art, science and nature. Environmental references such as climate change and mass extinction have been the central focus of my image making for more than two decades and these subjects have also been instrumental in shaping my entire life. My work, which was chosen by the organising committee to be exhibited at COP26 to illustrate species extinction and habitat loss, highlights the human connection to the natural world and the simultaneous impact on critical ecosystems and species. To be true to my values I use only Natural Earth Pigments, certified non-toxic with no harm to the environment, these paints have a connection with nature and the earth beneath our feet and are the perfect vehicle for translating the messages inherent within my work. I am committed to creating work that is both aesthetically and environmentally significant and I extend this philosophy to include regularly donating funds raised from the sale of paintings to climate, conservation and environmental organisations. In this capacity my auctioned paintings have raised substantial funds to enable on-the-ground projects around the world, ensuring that my art has a direct connection and a positive effect on the content it speaks about.

For more detailed information on how my artwork has directly contributed to conservation and environmental organisations, see BIOGRAPHY for collaborations and partners.

ACTIONS TAKEN TO RAISE FUNDS THROUGH THE SALE OF ARTWORK:

Funds raised through the sale of my artwork for conservation and environmental organisations include:

·       Explorers Against Extinction: ‘On The Brink’ Exhibition, Oxo Tower Gallery, London & Dundas Street Gallery, Edinburgh. Auction proceeds to fund project working with partners worldwide to recover key species and restore ecosystems. Focusing on positive action to make a tangible difference, from funding reforestation projects, fieldwork, monitoring and scientific research, to promoting human-wildlife co-existence.
·       charity: water a non-profit organisation bringing clean and safe water to people around the world in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.
·       Explorers Against Extinction: Campaign championing the work of 21 conservation projects from around the world, as follows: Project Seagrass, U.K. Giraffe Conservation Foundation, Niger, West Africa; Invictus K9, Southern Africa; African Pangolin Working Group, South Africa; African People & Wildlife, Tanzania; Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Kenya; The Gorilla Organization, Rwanda, Uganda & DRC; Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme, Indian Ocean; Rekawa Turtle Watch, Sri Lanka; Manta Trust, Indian Ocean; The Mariamma Charitable Trust, Bandipur, India; ELIE, Cambodia; The Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC), Sabah, Malaysian Borneo; Friends of the Koala, NSW, Australia; New Zealand Whale & Dolphin Trust; South Georgia Heritage Trust and British Antarctic Survey, Southern Ocean; RSPB, Birdlife International and South Georgia Heritage Trust, South Georgia; Onçafari, Brazil; Naveducando Foundation, Galapagos; TIDE Belize; and Arts For Animals, Southern Africa.
·       The Born Free foundation: A painting commissioned by actress and animal activist Virginia McKenna was auctioned in aid of the Born Free Foundation and sold to actress and activist Joanna Lumley.
·       The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust: A portrait of an elephant-poaching victim was sold to a collector in New York in aid of the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi.
·       The Environmental Investigation Agency, Save Wild Tigers & The Born Free Foundation: Burning Bright, a painting created with 32,000 Swarovski crystals representing ten times the number of tigers left in the wild, was exhibited at an exhibition in London’s Hotel Café Royal, curated by Christian Furr. It was subsequently auctioned at The Savoy Hotel and sold to an art collector in Germany in aid of Save Wild Tigers, The Born Free Foundation and The Environmental Investigation Agency. 

OTHER ACTIONS TAKEN:

·       Achieved Active Membership of the Gallery Climate Coalition, and pledged to at least halve my carbon emissions by 2030, from a 2019 baseline.
·       Designing a passive house and studio (five-year plan).
·       Setting aside a Strategic Climate Fund to support frontline climate and environmental solutions around the world that are making an immediate difference in taking responsibility for existing carbon emissions, in line with the principles of climate justice to support the needs of people on the frontlines of marginalisation and injustice.
·       Work sent from my studio to within the U.K. is wrapped in blankets or ArtPakk re-useable bags.
·       Artwork sent within the U.K. travels with a courier who has a service transporting other artwork at the same time.
·       Re-using packaging material and avoiding additional packaging wherever possible.
·       Using LED lighting everywhere.
·       Avoiding single use plastics and re-using anything that can be re-used.
·       Keeping travel to an absolute minimum and using the train wherever possible.
·       Using only low or zero emissions vehicles for local deliveries.
·       Working from a studio at home and walking to work.
·       I use only Natural Earth Pigments, certified non-toxic with no harm to the environment. The pigments and natural ingredients come from eco conscious small, family-owned businesses that harvest their ingredients sustainably. The paints are packaged using 100% recycled packaging. Natural Earth Paints have received Gold certification – the highest rank for a Green Business in America.
·       Incorporating water-based eco paints and handmade paper in my work.
·       Continuing to support environmental projects in the Global South which is disproportionately affected by Climate Change and Climate Injustice. 

FUTURE COMMITMENTS:

The main environmental impact of my practise includes a small amount of air freight delivering artworks to collectors and for exhibitions. I commit to tackling these impacts by:
·       Ensuring the majority of international shipping is carried out by sea, rail or road rather than air by 2028.
·       Regularly calculating my carbon footprint to track progress towards at least halving my carbon emissions by 2030, from a 2019 baseline.
·       Improving targets for the major parts of my footprint.
·       Reducing my building energy use and installing solar panels and replacing all fossil gas heating systems with electric heat pumps before 2030.
·       Ensuring all packing materials are reusable or curb side recyclable by 2026, as a step towards zero-waste operations by 2030.

GALLERY CLIMATE COALITION ACTIVE MEMBERSHIP

I have been awarded Active Membership of the Gallery Climate Coalition, for the years of 2022 and 2023 by demonstrating that I have implemented environmental sustainability best practice. The Gallery Climate Coalition is an international community of arts organisations working to reduce the sector’s environmental impacts, and I have been a member since March 2021, shortly after its inception. The goal of the GCC is to facilitate a greener and more sustainable commercial art world. The aim is to provide guidelines and the necessary resources to collectively reduce the sector’s carbon footprint by 2030 - in line with the Paris Agreement, and to promote near zero-waste practices.

Learn more about GCC here: www.galleryclimatecoalition.org