Artist Statement
PLASTIC GARDENS
Through my newest series of paintings Plastic Gardens I create a dialogue of the human condition and raise important social questions as to how we live with nature. As we encroach further and further into natural environments that were once untouched and eliminating them. How are we as a society going to create harmony and balance with the Earth? Is the creation of plastic gardens enough to offset the damage we're doing? Amongst hundreds of thousands of miles of concrete and steel we feel a distance from nature and are compelled to create green spaces,oasis, parks and gardens of cut grass, pruned trees and waterfalls constructed of painted concrete rocks encircled by highly designed flower beds, essentially nature on our terms.
I've constructed this series of paintings inspired by these plastic gardens. Plastic refers both to the materials I use, but also to the flexibility of these organic environments to exist and take any form the gardener wishes. Continuing my exploration of digital and paint, reality and illusion, new and old technology to take a closer look into the duality of societal expansion and growth. Using digitally manipulated photographs of paint, natural and plastic organic plants and flowers along side and embedded in actual paint, the highly manipulated surfaces of my paintings illustrate how highly manipulated nature has become. We need to ask ourselves what is our true relationship with nature?
--Kimber Berry 2012
Through my newest series of paintings Plastic Gardens I create a dialogue of the human condition and raise important social questions as to how we live with nature. As we encroach further and further into natural environments that were once untouched and eliminating them. How are we as a society going to create harmony and balance with the Earth? Is the creation of plastic gardens enough to offset the damage we're doing? Amongst hundreds of thousands of miles of concrete and steel we feel a distance from nature and are compelled to create green spaces,oasis, parks and gardens of cut grass, pruned trees and waterfalls constructed of painted concrete rocks encircled by highly designed flower beds, essentially nature on our terms.
I've constructed this series of paintings inspired by these plastic gardens. Plastic refers both to the materials I use, but also to the flexibility of these organic environments to exist and take any form the gardener wishes. Continuing my exploration of digital and paint, reality and illusion, new and old technology to take a closer look into the duality of societal expansion and growth. Using digitally manipulated photographs of paint, natural and plastic organic plants and flowers along side and embedded in actual paint, the highly manipulated surfaces of my paintings illustrate how highly manipulated nature has become. We need to ask ourselves what is our true relationship with nature?
--Kimber Berry 2012
