Matt Johnson

My current body of work explores human interactions with our environments.  More directly, it is a response to our involvement in the burning of our forests.  Whether it is through the ignitions of these forest fires or through the management/ mismanagement of large-scale blazes, I am trying to capture the urgency and destruction that is brought by the flames.

 

The imagery I present focuses on the landscape as burnt, burning and in the beginning stages of regeneration.  The natural environments are often superimposed on a strongly patterned background.  These patterns are representative of our human influence on these landscapes.  They are juxtaposed against the charred lands and act as a signifier of our human actions.

 

As destructive as the fires can be, they are also inherently beautiful.  Bold and brightly colored fires illuminate the night skies.  The blackened lands they leave behind are made even more startling with the regeneration of grasses and seedlings.  I acknowledge this inevitable rebirth through the use of a vivid color palette and the use of glowing silhouettes of trees.  For in the end, the earth will make itself whole again.