|  09/15/06 After
painting the California coast almost exclusively for the
past 20 years, Wassmann is now focused on a series of oils
based upon his journeys to Antarctica and its islands. Antarctica
is rarely visited. It is remote and unforgiving
but also stunningly beautiful, and changes there may very
well impact the lives of everyone on the planet. Not
only does the melting and disintegration of the ice shelves
and glaciers contribute to sea level rise but also as the
continent warms, weather and ocean currents will change.
Wassmann hopes that this new series of paintings, which
will be featured at the New York Art Expo to mark the beginning
of International Polar Year (IPY), will raise awareness of
the threat posed by these changes. Based on his photographs
taken of the Antarctic Peninsula, the paintings depict not
only the glaciers and icebergs but also the whales, penguins
and other marine life that thrive in this unique ecosystem.
While the world is much smaller now Antarctica is still
a mysterious place, with less than 20,000 tourists a year
traveling there during the brief 4 month period when the
waters are ice-free enough to travel safely. Granted,
we have photography and movies to bring this place into our
living rooms now but paintings can bring out the feeling
of an environment in ways that photographic technology cannot.
For more info: www.artseek.com/antarctica
Date: Weekends only - through Dec. 15th
Time: 10:00am – 3:00pm
Members: FREE
Non-Members: $6/adult (13yrs+) and $4/child (3-12yrs); Children
2 and under are FREE
For more Info: www.ocean-institute.org |
