Anthropocene
Anthropocene, the most recent geological time period, ‘The Age of Man’. It is the beginning of significant human impact on the planet. So much has been changed, damaged and destroyed in the name of progress. Yet there is a love and appreciation of the incredible colours, light and form of our unique Tasmanian terrain. The Meander River – beautiful light, wonderful foliage and structure, cool fresh tannin water, birds and insects, water tumbling down deep river valleys and spectacular gorges, but even here human impact is visible. A plastic water bottle bobs to the rhythm of the current, along with the micro plastics which enter our waterways, becoming part of a plastic soup destined for the sea and everything that lives in and feeds from it. Is it possible to appreciate and absorb what is around without the burden of guilt and concern around the way we have shaped our past and the consequences.
Rachel Howell
2019
Oil on canvas