Being an ArtistEnviromentalist

The pink weeping cherry blossom tree l planted  in my garden seven years ago has made my garden more beautiful and poigniant with the knowledge that her pink beautifulness would be short lived.

As l spent my time walking the streets of my village posting leaflets, my mind kept straying between fracking and cherry blossom beauty that l wanted to capture on the canvas board l’d pulled out ready.

‘The Frackers are coming ‘ said the leaflets calling to the people in my village to learn what this would mean for our land our air our water our wildlife our children and ourselves.  People HAD to know that thanks to”Keep Your Fracking Hands Off Neath Port Talbot”  we had a meeting organised to discuss the planning application and the implications for the future of our village.  We had just over a week to rally a protest and if people didn’t know how could they object?

Meanwhile the sunny weather was changing , l knew l’d miss my painting if the rain and wind came and blew away the blossoms.  Five years ago my little tree produced a handful of blossom each subsequent year more and more.  Five years ago during a period of personal heartbreak l sat and painted the tree and its handful of blossoms.  It was a dark painting not my usual vibrant colours I didn’t really like it but kept it intending to title it “Faith and Trust”  I recall.

I haven’t done the painting the rain is falling but there was standing room only in the Community hall last night because people knew about the borehole planning application.  I might still do a painting of whatever is left on the cherry blossom tree?  I might name it “Hope”…