I painted this mural on the boarded up windows of a business that was closed because of the pandemic. This installation, and other murals near 2nd and Ankeny in Portland, were spearheaded by @kaligrey. She created an opportunity for artists to bring some light to our troubled times.

One of an Artist’s most important societal functions is to be the visionary organ of humanity. We dredge up not just the perennial, historic myths buried in the collective psyche, but also dream up future possibilities. The theme of this piece was partly inspired by the Solarpunk ethos- “…a movement that encourages optimistic envisioning of the future in light of present environmental concerns, such as climate change and pollution, as well as social inequality.” I would add to this a recognition of non-human persons, ancestor spirits, and non corporeal entities. A kind of Animism 2.0. By embracing a holistic cosmology, we begin to heal a very out of balance worldview. By seeing an alternative future, we can make choices that move us away from dystopia.