
This is an ongoing series of drawings inspired by my work in straw bale building.
My environmental activism started at the young age when I very enthusiastically participated in a school assembly about protecting our ozone layer & combating “acid rain”. A passion for speaking out about the state of the ecosystem grew & later in life I visited Mali, West Africa & learned about the beauty, genius & efficiency of adobe building; the protective cool clay earthen structures in contrast to the heat of the dry desert sun. This inspired me to research a host of other natural building techniques which lead me to doing hands on training in passive solar technology, straw bale building, adobe plaster & green roof construction. In 2007 I worked as a laborer for Furbish, Co, Baltimore, MD to build a 27,000 sqft straw bale Friends Community School in College Park, MD. Straw bale building is a technique using bales of straw which are produced as a byproduct of an industrial wheat harvest. This straw is not the same as hay & is mostly inedible so when it isn’t being used for animal bedding it becomes a waste product & is burned. Building with this industrial byproduct diverts a massive carbon footprint (by not burning) while diverting the use of highly polluting/extractive conventional construction methods & materials. In addition, walls constructed of straw bales maintain an R-value of about 25 (that's huge!) which significantly increases the energy savings throughout the life of the building. Building with plants has inspired a profound search for a connection to nature within the city landscapes where I’ve spent most of my life.

Module Stack
graphite, colored pencil, gouache, dry pigment mounted to canvas
25''x60''
2007
(in a private collection)
prints are available

Strawbale House
graphite, colored pencil, gouache, dry pigment mounted to canvas
20''x30''
2007
(available for sale)

True Fox
graphite, colored pencil, gouache, dry pigment mounted to board
42’’x52’’
2012
(Fidelity Investment art collection)
prints are available

Striped
graphite, colored pencil, gouache, dry pigment mounted to board
36’’x 54’’
2009
(private collection)
prints are available