One-color silkscreen print on white Canson Editions paper, 18 X 24 inches, edition of 10, 2020. Collaborators: David Buckley Borden and Helen Popinchalk.

The Ecological Wayfinding System print features 30 logographic designs. Building off the traditional graphic language of the “hobo” travel symbols, this communication system serves as a survival code for environmental collapse. Some pictographs communicate opportunities for potable water, free charging stations, camp wood, and welcoming “safe” communities. Conversely, others warn of environmental threats and misfortunes including barren farm land, superfund sites, chemical plumes, and corporate monoculture landscapes.

Learn more about the Ecological Wayfinding System project here.

Environmental Wayfinding Baby Quilt, 54 X 54 inches, silkscreened 600 denier canvas, 2020. Collaborators: David Buckley Borden, Mike Demaggio, and Helen Popinchalk.

In the semiotic tradition, the Environmental Wayfind System is a learned graphic language. As such, it is not surprising to see EWS symbols incorporated into common household items as a means to teach the survival-code to the young. Documented examples of EWS objects include baby quilts (as pictured above), kiddie lightning stools, toys, and hand-tools for young adults.

Pinus Contorta ‘Wack Bat,’ 18 x 24 inches, recycled oak flooring, acrylic paint, india ink and lasers, 2022. Collaborators: Vinnie Arnone, David Buckley Borden, Isaac Martinotti, and I. V. Escher.

The PNW Tree ID project builds off the interpretive-sign tradition of identifying trees in situ as educational program for trail users. This series specifically focuses on native tree species found in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The graphic design of the mixed-media sign are intended to tell botanical tales that are ancient, unfolding, complex, and even speculative in nature.

Learn more about the PNW Tree ID project here.

Pinus sabiniana ‘Anglerus,’ 4 x 12 inches, pine cone, logging tool, macro plastic, and found feathers, 2022. Collaborators: William Bonner, David Buckley Borden, Nancy Silvers, and Ian Vierck.

The Arboreal Goth Cone Collection is a speculative-design project exploring gothic hybrids of ecology, industrial practice, collector culture, and late-capitalism in North America. The series of work stems from an obscure pine cone artform practiced by lookout personnel stationed in wildfire watchtowers throughout the Pacific Northwest. The fictitious collection is intended to report human stories within a declining ecological system by foregrounding an environmental legacy that is characterized by misguided resource management and lack of ecological awareness.

Learn more about the Arboreal Goth Cone Collection here.

Science of Death Flag, 600 denier marine-grade canvas, 3 x 5 feet, 2022. Collaboration with Michael Demaggio and Ian Vierck.

The Environmental Revolution Flags project is an ongoing series of hand-crafted 3 x 5 feet canvas flags. The ever-growing series recasts historic North American flags to highlight environmental battles being fought across the United States and Canada. The intention of the work is to urge communities to take a stand for collective land stewardship and a healthy ecological future.

Learn more about the Environmental Revolution Flags project here.

Best Fren Lightning Stool, 10 x 14 x 14 inches, reclaimed wood, silkscreened satin stitched fabric, glass insulators, 2022. Collaborators: David Buckley Borden, Helen Popinchalk, Nancy Silvers.

The Lightning Stool Lot is a collective project exploring the lifestyle and practice of wildfire lookouts through “tower cab” furnishings. The Lookout’s Best Fren Stool (pictured above) features an upholstered stool with padded top for a lookout’s tired feet or an impromptu visitor from the valley below.

Learn more about the Lightning Stool Lot project here.

450 PPM, acrylic paint, wood glue, and recycled wood, 2020. Collaborators: David Buckley Borden and lettering artist Jack K Byers.

55 Gallon Drummers is an art and design project focused on exploring interdisciplinary approaches to environmental education. The collective project is organized around a simple formal framework; the standard 55-gallon oil drum as the basic creative module. The intention of the project is to communicate productive ideas related to ecology, be it environmental awareness, data, warning, witness, mourning, call-to-action, or the like. The primary collaborative goal is to engage a variety of visual artists and designers who do not typically self-identify as “environmental” artists, writers, designers, etcetera.

Learn more about the 55 Gallon Drummers project here.