Back to Artists

Rick Smith

Artist Statement Submitted 2014

Scientists have known for years that sea levels are rising and the Atlantic Gulf Stream is slowing, which will lead to an even greater proportional rise in sea levels along the eastern coast of the United States. Scientists were expecting sea level worldwide to rise by about 3 feet over the next 90 years, but for the US eastern seaboard the change will be even greater, and that was before the news very recently of the Antarctic ice melting more rapidly than previously thought.

This body of work is an attempt to document the aesthetic beauty of the natural world, but simultaneously depict how it is threatened by human intervention in terms of climate change, sea level rise, and erosion. For low lying areas such as the South Carolina Lowcountry, where ecosystems are already in a delicate balance, this change threatens devastation in the near future.

Other Artists You May Like