Back in 2016, I took part in a group exhibition in Lincoln. The event was held over a long weekend, and the participants and visitors camped in the field adjacent to the exhibition hall. The event itself was amazing, with great food, beautiful art, and fantastic people.
The nights in London before the event had been extremely hot and muggy, and I had packed accordingly. This was a big mistake; with cloudless skies in Lincoln, the nights in the tent were incredibly cold. Despite the freezing conditions at night, there was a surprising bonus. What stood out to me, which really blew me away, was the exceptionally clear night sky. I had never seen SO many stars.
Having lived my entire life in London, under the glare of thousands of streetlights and offices, I had become accustomed to blackened, blue night skies devoid of stars. We just see the odd star and constellation or the reflected greenish-yellow glow of the streetlights on the clouds above. This is our normal. We have become disconnected from the awe-inspiring celestial beauty of the night sky. This was different.
The magnificent beauty of the cosmos was visible, and I saw it with my own eyes for the first time. The universe was spread out before us. It is little wonder to me that man has long desired to understand the universe. This event inspired my work for the following ten years and was the catalyst for my Space, Planets and Milkyway paintings.
The stars were essential to the ancients. Our ancestors would look up in wonder at the planets and constellations, which sparked their creation stories. The Egyptians aligned their pyramids with the Pole Star, and the stories of their Gods were intertwined with the cosmos. The Milkyway was seen as a cosmic representation/ reflection of the Nile. A spiritual highway to the heavens. The Celtic tribes of Europe and Great Britain had a similar relationship with the heavens. Stonehenge was aligned to the Summer and Winter Solstices and is thought to have been essential to their way of life. A huge monument that not only served as a location for religious and community ceremonies, but was also used to calculate time between the solstices, possibly to mark the harvest months. For the Norse and Viking tribes of Northern Europe, the stars were used for navigation and were integral to the tales of their gods. The constellations were essential to illustrate these legends and were interwoven into the stories themselves.
The Greeks and Romans attributed their Gods to the Planets. In fact, some of the Planets are named after Roman Gods. Mercury zips quickly across the heavens and was named after the messenger of the Gods. The mighty Gas Giant Jupiter was the Roman name of the king of the Gods. In Greek mythology, he was known as Zeus. Mars was named after the Roman God of War. In Greek mythology, the same god was known as Aries.
These cultures were immersed in and had deep respect for the natural world, and saw themselves as part of it. Their lives and origins were intertwined with the natural world, connected to it. This is something we have lost in modern times. We no longer see ourselves and the environment in the same way. We have lost our connection.
Greenwich Observatory was founded by Charles II 347 years ago. The view of the night sky would have been very different back then. There was no light pollution blocking out the stars; the sky was a rich tapestry of pinpoints of light. Stretching out over landmarks we would recognise today.
It must have been extremely beautiful to look up and see the Milkyway above London in all its glory and grandeur. For all the benefits of the modern world, it is something our children may never witness.
It is also the same with the natural world. The lockdowns of the COVID era put this into a very stark contrast for me. We were all forced into a self-imposed solitary confinement. The call of the wild and natural world was louder to me at this time than it has ever was before. There was an eerie silence outside, no planes in the sky, less traffic, it felt like nature was taking over and bouncing back. I felt inspired to paint; I had found a reconnection to nature. I had hoped that maybe as humanity was working together to find a cure. Maybe we had learned a lesson and mend our ways towards each other and the world.
Since this time, however, we have slipped back into our selfish, greedy ways. Politicians and billionaries devide us and turn us against each other. Wars and hatred rage all over the world, powered by the corruption of those we have elected to lead us. On the national level, they fail to look after our natural resources as sewage is pumped into our rivers. This has led to Individual people and companies feeling empowered to dump their rubbish, and our connection feels more distant than ever. Just walking along the bank of the Thames you can see rubbish and junk strewn across the river bed.
In the UK, especially in London, we are extremely fortunate to have a lot of green and woodland areas. There is tranquillity and security in these spaces. A peaceful respite from the hustle and bustle of the city. These places should be experienced and explored. They are our opportunity to reconnect. This is why I paint trees and the natural world. I want to bring this experience into your home.
What are your thoughts? Am I being over dramatic? Have we lost our connection to nature? Let's continue the conversation. Write your comments in the box below.
