The Things of Light 2008

My collection of paintings, drawings, and prints represents my two-year study of the Hanford Reach, the only free-flowing section of the Columbia River left in the United States. This area runs through the Hanford Site, a Manhattan Project facility that spans 586 square miles in south-central Washington. Built in 1943, the Hanford Site processed plutonium for nuclear weapons, including the Nagasaki bomb, which tragically claimed over 80,000 lives in Japan. Before the last reactor was decommissioned in 1987, the facility released iodine 131 plumes, linked to hundreds of deaths among downwind residents. Today, Hanford’s toxic remains continue to contaminate the Columbia River, affecting aquatic life and the people who consume it.

I created the prints by combining time-lapse photographs of both the Hanford Reach and the mouth of the Columbia River with layers of text. These texts are derived from stories told by Nagasaki bombing victims, data on the environmental and health effects of nuclear processing at Hanford, and poems by Dylan Thomas and Mary Oliver. For the paintings, I laminated digital transparencies depicting areas near the mouth of the Columbia and the Hanford reactor sites between glass and mirror. Each painting features approximately 20 layers of paint atop the glass, with text applied and carved between the layers. My intention with this modern art was to examine a dark moment in history and how it shaped the place I live and the people, including myself, who reside here. I hope "The Things of Light" will prompt others to reflect on these issues and contribute to shaping a better future.

This body of work is a unique blend of minimal art and modern art, focusing on the history of Northwest art and the significant historical and environmental impact of the Hanford Reach.