CONCEPT: In nature, bright colors often serve as a warning signal. This is a phenomenon known as aposematism. Vivid reds, yellows, oranges, blues, and greens can indicate that an organism is toxic, venomous, foul-tasting, or otherwise dangerous to predators. Poison dart frogs, monarch butterflies, coral snakes, and many marine creatures use these striking color patterns as an evolutionary defense mechanism: the brighter and more memorable the coloration, the more likely predators are to avoid them after a negative encounter.

These colors are produced organically through pigments, structural coloration, or chemical compounds found within the organism itself. Interestingly enough, however, is that not all brightly colored species are truly dangerous; some harmless animals evolve to mimic toxic species in order to gain protection — a strategy called Batesian mimicry. Across ecosystems, bright natural coloration represents a fascinating intersection of survival, chemistry, and visual communication.

While much of my work is abstraction, I wanted to explore ways to take this idea of color application in nature and superimpose it on unnaturally terrestrial spaces…I sought to depict the husks of formerly productive ecosystems being overgrown with what only can be called ‘other-worldy’ beauty. The images are meant to be confrontational as ‘beauty’ aesthetic is underpinned with a cautionary tale of environmental abuse.

PROMPT: Color floe breaking through otherwise grey industrial backdrop (*Optional: toxic, colored, camouflage, sludge, photorealistic, reflection, industrial setting)