LIFE RAFT
The life raft was invented by a woman. Maria Beasley in 1882. Life rafts are still used by women today to stay afloat in a sea of patriarchal bullshit.
Life Raft is written and produced by two working artists, Charlotte Thurman and Tara Booth. Each issue centers on a theme, which strives to challenge and discuss the gender binary. Full color images can be found on our website.
submissions: liferaftzine@gmail.com liferaftzine.com @liferaftzine
Courtney Currier
How lovely the silence of growing things Oil on cradled wood panel
Courtney Currier
Ascending the uplands to look out Watercolor on paper
Courtney Currier is a research technician at Arizona State University focusing broadly on ecosystem ecology. She conducts rainfall manipulation experiments and long-term climate studies in grasslands across North America. Her research works to advance our understanding of the determinants and effects of terrestrial ecosystem sensitivity to drought. Because of her desire to understand ecosystem processes and the transcendental connection to the landscape in which she works, her paintings often translate ecological themes. She hopes that her artwork will evoke emotion in response to environmental and global changes that are occurring while inspiring other scientists to think creatively about scientific design and dissemination. She has presented artwork in lieu of traditional data graphics at a scientific conference to share her research findings and will continue to push the art-science boundary. Courtney often fills her free time exploring natural curiosities of the Southwest and filling pages of her notebook with botanical illustrations. www.courtneycurrier.com
Courtney Currier
I don’t know what the blackbird sang Oil on cradled wood panel
Courtney Currier
Chihuahuan Desert grassland responds to rainfall manipulation Oil on high density fiberboard
Emily Smith
Canyon at Sunset (Based on a photo my Dad took at the Grand Canyon) Embroidery
Taylor Yokom
people looking at things that can’t look back (3) 2016 www.tayloryo.com @tayloryocom
Act 2 And the clothing. Black tights Socks: left foot #1: light grey with various colored polka dots (knee length) #2 brown acrylic sensation above ankle Right foot #1: cream colored woolen knee length with some slight alternating hues #2 footlet black cotton Salmon hued pants with various stains, white paint, iron, maybe some blood, black ink, oil (probably from pizza) pilling from rubbing against god knows what, and they are sort of those new stretchy like “jeans” Black bando like “bra” for warmth and to keep the pillows in place Dark heather grey v-neck t shirt Black and grey plaid button up, buttoned up Caramel colored Italian leather knee boots purchased for $164. On sale at a shop in Woodstock, NY 3 summers ago that probably shouldn’t be worn in the winter, are the most expensive pair of foot accessory or clothing item that I have ever purchased, are scuffed at the toes now which actually makes me happy because it means that they are alive, have three buckle clasps on the outside layer so as to adjust for various calf and ankle widths, are warm and need some of that leather protector stuff Oddly shaped clear framed glasses with rhinestones imbedded on the sides, probably circa 1980’s old marm, purchased for $35 dollars at a thrift store in Philadelphia, PA, with an additional $100 prescription implemented into them, not worn but for the occasion of about 5 times, because I find them to be quite unattractive on my person Worn and sad : (now describe the “winter coat”) Let us return to the discussion at hand… Heather Ossandon
(Not Bartleby) of Bartelby www.hossandonart.com
Charlotte Thurman
1. After Stepping Off 2. A Steep Train Platinotypes 2017
In Her Garden
Ariel Kessler www.arielkessler.com @arielkess
Above: Skeletons, Below: Timber
Marsh & Flora The Passionate Nature of Jane Campion’s Romantic Heroines by Juan Camilo Sáez
I
n a decidedly Emily Brontë way, auteur Jane Campion externalizes the psyches of her female protagonists through their natural surroundings. In her seminal tragic romantic novel Wuthering Heights (1847), Brontë used
moors, storms and winds as metaphors for her wild Cathy’s tempestuous desires. Similarly, Campion gives us mud and butterflies as symbols for her romantic heroines.
New Zealand is known for its picturesque, green splendor, but in Campion’s The Piano (1993) we are presented with a far murkier vision of the terrain. In the film, the defiantly mute Ada (remarkable Holly Hunter) arrives from her native Scotland to the grey beaches of nineteenth century New Zealand with her daughter Flora (precocious little Anna Paquin) and her beloved piano.
Melissa McKay
Mt Baldy (and our long drive back from LA) Ink on Paper 2011
Immediately New Zealand is in opposition to her. She is told the piano cannot possibly go along on the journey that lay ahead to her bethroved’s home. This is not a happy marriage for Ada, and her environment mirrors that. Constantly raining, always muddy, engulfing and arduous. Her natural surroundings are as strongwilled as she is.
Campion’s Bright Star (2009) heroine Fanny Brawne (lovely Abbie Cornish) is every bit as passionate as Ada, but she is better expressed by flowers, sunlit rooms, bees and butterflies. Though her romance with poet John Keats (ohso sensitive Ben Whishaw) will result tragic, the feelings are in full bloom. Instead of grey, the film is pink and blue. Fanny feels the loveliness and freshness of the world, while Ada feels its opposition and combativeness. Both women live fully, vividly in the nature that surrounds them and react strongly with and to it. As was true of Brontë’s Cathy, the natural world of these impassioned women is in fact an expression of them. Juan Camilo Sáez is fashion obsessed and living in Brooklyn, New York. Over the years he acquired a fairly extensive knowledge of film history. His favorites are classic Hollywood films with strong, complex, yet glamourous, female leads. He is devoted to Beyoncé.
Heather Ossandon and here we will...comparisons AND HERE WE WILL MAKE SOME COMPARISIONS/not really, just 2 things in a seemingly relatable structure/this has been organized for your convenience: 1. go, and sit in the corner. stare, at the corner. be, in the corner. 2. “one can undoubtedly become aware of existing by escaping from space” SOME OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER AT THIS VERY MOMENT: 1. these dudes: Debussy and Sondheim 2. the power of …?
3. this equation:
|00⋯0⟩ + |11⋯1⟩
4. this word: entanglement 5. this string of letters:
theinterconnectednessofallthingsandallthingsareinterconnected.
6. this thought series: Spiral spiral spiral . Here are some notions that have Here are some observations Lest we confuse the too. 7. this response:
“click clacking gets all a tangle”
8. this essay (it’s an excerpt): "As I have said already that it was an October day, I dare not forfeit your respect and imperil the fair name of fiction by changing the season and describing lilacs hanging over garden walls, crocuses, tulips and other flowers of spring. Fiction must stick to facts, and the truer the facts the better the fiction—so we are told. Therefore it was still autumn and the leaves were still yellow and falling, if anything, a little faster than before, because it was now evening (seven twenty-three to be precise) and a breeze (from the southwest to be exact) had risen." V. Woolf
9. this cordial: thanks xo! -h
today is becoming a dangerous one: when the day happened
sep·ul·cher
“SQUID”
the damn cat and everything visible to the unaided human eye.
Now, to take respite in the sound/on charm and disguise/ Please continue to the next page and pardon the interruption.
this is word art.
it has officially been inserted in a text box. bam. No, but really, go to the next page. this is word art. it has officially been inserted
in a text box. bam. No, but really, go to the next page. this is word art.
it has officially been inserted in a text box. bam. No, but really, go to the next page. this is word art. it has officially been inserted in a text box. bam. No, but really, go to the next page. Now, to take respite in the sound/on charm and disguise http://youtu.be/AxfcvwJ-Ga8, I have not, as of yet, figured out how to embed a video, please excuse this lack of technological knowledge. Here it is as transcribed in another…
Heather Ossandon
1. Yellow Skies 2. Pink Skies
Jessie Greenwell Jessiegreenwellart.com 443.876.3204
My art speaks to the human condition and finding truth from deep within. The life cycle of
moths and their correlation to humans fascinates me. Within this life cycle I see the connection
between moths and humans; the difference being that humans have moments of renewal many times over in a lifetime, while moths regenerate once in their life cycle. I strive to create a conversation around consciousness and the connection that people have to their natural instincts.
I find that most people spend their lives going through the natural process of trying to
connect themselves to something deeper. Inevitably this process creates pivotal moments in time,
where someone might feel that their life is in despair. Through these turbulent stages of life, people are able to move forward with a deeper understanding of themselves. In turn they are stronger,
confident and more aware of their world. This progression resembles the moment of transformation within the moth’s cocoon.
Humans have a deep embedded drive to create a safe space, protect that space, and
reproduce offspring to continue on protecting what they first created. As the Philosopher Diane
Ackerman so eloquently states, “The mind is too narrow to contain itself entirely.� While most people assume they are in full control of their mind and body I believe that humans are not fully conscious,
that they move and act intuitively. Based on fleeting emotion, most actions and decisions are purely instinctual. Our intuitive connection to nature, that we are not always aware of, is innately a part of
our history, our existence and even our spirit.
Through my work, I seek to create visceral spaces with sculptures inspired by these
concepts. While reflecting upon the moments of transformation, many of the processes I choose to
use require a great deal of time and energy. These methods allow my sculptures to capture the labor-
intensive system both moths and humans go through during their transformative phases. My practice is methodical and I am often drawn into the innate detail of my work. I am not married to any one technique, I learn the necessary skills needed in order to execute the idea I have mind.
Jessie Greenwell Natural Process
Jessie Greenwell Natural Process
Jessie Greenwell The Burden we Bear
Sarah Freeman
The Meeting of Pine and Aspen Oil on Linen 32 x 32� 2014
Sarah Freeman The Clearing Oil on Linen 40 x 32� 2014
Sarah Freeman, Nocturne in Blue, Oil on Linen, 20 x 18�, 2015 www.sarahfreemanart.com
What happens when you search for “Women in Nature� on Google?