Donna Weatherall — Artist of the Year

Since the 1980’s I have referred to elements of the natural world and more specifically to birds and mammals in my paintings. Although we’re all becoming more aware of the ecological issues that confront us today, in the end I wonder if we’re doing enough? Over the centuries we humans have had an ever larger and more detrimental effect on the environment, to the point where we are now the cause of the sixth mass extinction.

The creatures in my work are usually displayed in a mash-up of the man-made and the natural in company with art historical, industrial, and cultural references. Together, they communicate a sense of the intricate beauty and fragility of living things and the destructive capacity of the consumer culture we’re all a part of.