Today is Earth Day and while we should always celebrate the gifts of nature, this day is a reminder to pause and think deeply about our impact on the planet. Are we benefitting the environment with our actions, or are we harming it? The theme for this year’s Earth Day is Restore Our Earth, a plea that makes it clear that much ground has been lost and it is now the time to make amends to protect and preserve this place we call home.

Art and nature have been linked for thousands of years. In modern society, the environment continues to inspire artists the world over. While some artists, like Olafur Eliasson, clearly use their work for climate activism, every artist who depicts nature alludes to how truly precious it is.

In honor of this special day, here are 5 works by LCA artists that portray the beauty and power of Mother Nature.

Olivia D’Orazi
Dayglow, 2021

This image of a wildflower field in California, taken by mixed-media photographer Olivia D’Orazi appears as if from a dream. Her works are known for brushing with surreality and this work is no exception. To create the psychedelic effect seen here, the artist layers her photography with specially formulated paints and inks, resulting in works that provide a heightened experience with the place she has visited. Through the capture and manipulation of already beautiful scenes, D’Orazi collaborates with the land to create a truly compelling visual.

Cathleen Ficht
Fishing on the Captain Gillen, 2019

If Cathleen Ficht’s works were a movie, they would be “Inception.” Each carefully drawn image, like “Fishing on the Captain Gillen” contains images within images within…well, you get the point. Ficht begins each work by taking a photograph of the sea, a source of constant inspiration for her. From there, she spends upwards of 80 hours meticulously drawing each detail. Working with light and shadow, she creates a 3D sense of movement so that you not only see the wave but can sense its full force. While the work is incredibly detailed on a microscopic level, it dabbles in abstraction as a macroscopic whole, allowing for a participatory experience. What do you see in this work besides the water?

Jenifer Kent
Crown, 2021

It’s truly mind-blowing what artist Jenifer Kent can do with a line. Inspired by organic forms found in nature, she creates freehand marks that grow outwards to construct a whole image. Flora or fossil, fusion, or foundation; her works like this new one, “Crown,” are alive with energy. With a circular exterior edge, “Crown” seems to have the capacity of both spinning and vibrating at the same time. Like the seasons, time, and life on our sacred Earth, there is a cyclic nature to all circles, including this one. “Crown” exists in liminality outside of time and space, yet it reminds us of our very delicate and balanced existence.

Zane Osler
Starchives 006, 2020

“For my part, I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream.“ Vincent Van Gogh

What do you think about when you gaze at the stars? While it’s probably not something you do very often, my experience is to entirely forget myself and get lost in the beauty of the unknown. The majority of us (astronauts being the exception) are tethered to this Earth, but above our heads at all times is this infinite space that inspires us all. This image, one in a collection known as the “The Starchive Series” by photographer Zane Osler was taken in the artist’s home state of Michigan, at the Nordhouse Dunes National Lakeshore in the Manistee National Forest, a place known for exceptional stargazing. The perspective of the image places the primary emphasis on the sky rather than the figure in the foreground, helping us as the viewer standing at a distance experience the vastness of the sky in relation to the smallness of the person. As we gaze at the Milky Way, which seems to open up and send light towards the figure specifically, it is impossible not to feel moved.

Maggie Roof
Golden Hour, 2020

If you’ve ever looked at a sunset and thought that someone should paint it, Maggie Roof has done it for you. This painting of a sunset at golden hour — that time right before the sun dips below the horizon — highlights the exquisite beauty of the light as it casts a glow over a river. From the trees dripping with Spanish moss to the long grasses blowing in the wind, this quintessential Lowcountry landscape brings joy to a Southerner’s heart. It is one of two works from the artist’s most recent show, “Ripple Effect” in which she has used a palette knife. Working in this way allows for thick brushstrokes with a lot of paint left behind to create a 3D mark. Like frosting on a cake, the delicious colors of the paint have created a feast for the eyes.