TEARS ARE STILL FALLING
Rika Mouw, Homer

mussel shells and nylon thread

“Environmental travesties occur almost daily somewhere in the world. I grieve deeply for each one I learn of because this miraculous watery blue planet floating in infinite space is the only known habitat for all living species we know of, and it is with each incremental careless ‘accident’ that we come closer to extinction. 20 years ago, the biggest  environmental ‘accident’ in the United States, the Exxon/Valdez oil spill, occurred in my habitat. The grieving has not stopped. The best way I can convey this continued grief is though the perfect and beautiful lives that are tied inextricably to their place, who have no choice of relocation and who depend on their sustenance through the very act of filtering the water in which they live. Mussels are not only a source of food for so many species, including humans, but are one of the front line casualties in a polluted marine habitat. Our habitat. 20 years later, the tears are still falling………  

Workingwork with natural materials indigenous to my surroundings. With these materials I attempt to bring attention to the value of the natural world upon which we are dependent. I have been a working artist for over 20 years with educational background in design and environmental planning.”