Works By Emma Cash
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners, and ongoing Custodians of the land and waterways, the Jagera people. We extend this courtesy to all Indigenous peoples of this continent and its neighbouring lands and acknowledge their cultures as the oldest continuously living cultures in human history. We honour the ancestors of our local country and recognise the deep spiritual connections that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have with the land, sea, sky and community. We pay our respects to Elders, past, present and emerging.
LUNGS
This artwork is representative of the earth’s forests, and the title references the planets respiratory system. Life on earth depends on forests given that they provide a variety of resources, including oxygen production, carbon storage, wildlife habitat, reduction of global warming, and decreased pollution. Due to increased agriculture, construction and industry, forests are disappearing, leading to significant environmental change. The palette in this work is of conceptual significance with the brown and green relating to our natural world, intending to evoke feelings of warmth, security, growth and harmony. While blue and white implies hope. The central focus of the work is on conservation and is a response to the documentary A Life On Our Planet, a witness statement by Sir David Attenborough that this series of works embody.
Acrylic, Oil, Charcoal on canvas. 16×20″
“Worldwide, we have now destroyed over half of the forest that once flourished on our planet. Not only are we losing the animals that once lived on them, we’re also changing the climate of the entire globe.”
– David Attenborough, renowned British naturalist and broadcaster.
Nature = one-third of the solution
Protecting and restoring natural ecosystems, such as old-growth forests, could provide a third of the global action needed to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
— Conservation.org
FLAME
Vast space, hot sands, and a barren wilderness portray the desert within this work. The desert represents survival, imagination, clarity, revelations, isolation, and overcoming significant challenges in life. Hints of danger and truth are present in the colour palette through the yellow and white tones, whereas the soft pinks and browns suggest warmth and an earthy grounded-ness, reminding us that time is of the essence, and fresh perspectives and new ways of being are required to preserve our planet.
Acrylic, Oil, Ink, Charcoal on canvas. 16×20″
“Continents are on fire. Glaciers are melting. Coral reefs are dying. Fish are disappearing from our oceans. The list goes on and on.”
– David Attenborough, renowned British naturalist and broadcaster.
We have years, not decades, to take on the interconnectedness crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. But by working together, we’re overcoming barriers to the solutions our planet needs.
Together, we find a way.
— The Nature Conservancy
SEA FOREST
This piece investigates conservation of the oceans’ coral reefs and the diverse ecosystems that thrive within. Coral reefs are like rainforests of the sea, hosting more than a quarter of all marine life. The colours interconnect the calming nature of water, with the vibrancy of life; celebrating the harmony of symbiotic relationships amongst species, perfected over millions of years of evolution.
Acrylic, Oil, and Ink on canvas. 16×20″
“Continents are on fire. Glaciers are melting. Coral reefs are dying. Fish are disappearing from our oceans. The list goes on and on.”
– David Attenborough, renowned British naturalist and broadcaster.
“Coral reefs represent some of the worlds most spectacular beauty spots, but they are also the foundation of marine life: without them many of the seas most exquisite species will not survive.”
— Sheherazade Goldsmith, Environmentalist, jeweller and columnist.
WHITE
This artwork explores the rapid loss of our glaciers and ice-lands due to rising global temperatures. Glaciers are huge mases of ice that flow like slow rivers. They form over hundreds of years as fallen snow compresses and turns into ice. The colour blue represents the dense, and compact glacial ice, and intends to invoke a sense of peace, wisdom and reason. Additionally, the palette symbolizes Aurora Borealis and the rainbow of lights that reflect off the sun onto the white landscape.
Acrylic, Oil, Ink, Charcoal on canvas. 16×20″
If climate change caused the Antarctic ice sheet to melt entirely, it is estimated that sea levels would rise by around 65m. That means that London would be lost underwater!
– National Geographic Kids
“The truth is: the natural world is changing. And we are totally dependent on that world. It provides our food, water and air. It is the most precious thing we have and we need to defend it.”
— David Attenborough, renowned British naturalist and broadcaster.
LIFE FORCE
This work considers the rivers, lakes, and streams that flow throughout our lands. Like blood in our veins, these water channels provide the most essential life force to everything and everyone. A busy composition is met with earthy hues which exude warmth, simplicity and peace.
Acrylic, and Oil on canvas. 16×20″
Ways you can take action today to help conserve natural resources at home and PRESERVE US!
- Use less water.
- Turn off the lights.
- Use renewable energy.
- Recycle.
- Compost.
- Choose reusable goods.
- Manage your thermostat.
- Thrift shop.
– The Masterclass
Rivers support biodiversity.
— UN Environment Programme
RED HEART
This piece explores both the chaos and beauty of volcanoes, as well as mountains. Over geologic time, volcanic eruptions have directly and indirectly benefited mankind: Volcanic materials ultimately break down and weather to form some of the most fertile soils on Earth, cultivation of which has produced abundant food and fostered civilizations. Importantly, the ash from an eruption, blocks sunlight, resulting in a period of cooling. However, through continued green-house gas emissions causing the planets temperature to rise, climate change could reduce the cooling effects by 75%. The eye is drawn to the center of the composition, signifying our planets heart. The warm tones represent the excessive heat of lava, compassion and love for our unwell planet, and a warning to make necessary changes to help restore our planet. If not now, when?
Acrylic, Oil, Charcoal on canvas. 16×20″
The impact of human activities on the carbon cycle far exceeds that of all the world’s volcanoes combined, by more than 100 times.
–NASA, Global Climate Change; The Carbon Dioxide (CO2) of Earths Volcanic Eruptions
“Interestingly, as ice sheets melt in places like Iceland, the size and frequency of eruptions may increase; there is some evidence that melting ice at the end of the last ice age triggered an acceleration of volcanic activity.”
— Lauren Fuge, How will climate change influence volcanoes?
Cosmos, The science of everything; The Royal Institute of Australia
SAVANNAH
This abstract composition represents Earth’s most extensive natural grasslands, also known as prairies, pampas, steppes, savanna and downs. Considered one of the oldest grassland ecosystems in the world, The Serengeti’s weather, flora, and fauna, have barely changed over the past million years. While the plain is well protected by a national park and a conservation area, the human population is growing closer. Grasslands are threatened by habitat loss, caused by unsustainable agricultural practices, overgrazing, crop clearing, illegal hunting and climate change. Line and shape, along with colour psychology, were considered when designing this work. The vibrancy of the orange provides a sense of positivity, while layers of blue, tan and gold evoke nature, concern, creativity and innovative thought.
Acrylic, Oil, and Charcoal on canvas. 16×20″
Grasslands arose during the period of cooling and drying of the global climate, which occurred during the Cenozoic Era (65.5 million years ago to the present).
–Jeremy M. B. Smith, Grassland, Britannica
Not only do grasslands have local importance for the maintenance of biodiversity and food production, but they also affect ecological processes at landscape (pollination), regional (water regulation, recreation), and global scales (climate regulation).
— J. Bengtsson, et al. Grasslands – more important for ecosystem than you might think.
SOUL
Representative of the ocean, the rich blue hues signify mysteries of the deep, and the ebb and flow of the tides and waves, while the creams and nude tones respond to the calming effect the ocean has on our mind, body and soul. Similar to forests, but on a larger scale, the oceans ecosystem is the central regulatory control of the Earth’s climate. From rising sea levels to plastic pollution, and toxic waste dumping; human activity threatens the health of marine environments, as well as our own lives.
Acrylic, and Oil on canvas. 16×20″
Plastic pollution is currently one of the biggest problems affecting the marine environment with an estimated 8 million tonnes of plastic enter the oceans annually. Roughly 40% of the ocean’s surface is now covered in plastic debris and if our plastic consumption continuesit is estimated that by 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean.
–EARTH.ORG
“No water, no life. No blue, no green.”
— Dr Sylvia Earle, Marine Biologist, oceanographer, explorer, author, and lecturer.
SALVATION
This artwork symbolizes the cyclical nature of the universe. The circle of life, from birth to death. The cycle echoes throughout the cosmos and in all living things. Black represents the end of one phase and the beginning of another, while the white circle signifies purity, spiritual growth and a new perspective. The word Salvation means lifeline, conservation, and preservation. If humanity’s impact on the natural world is left unchecked, the Arctic could completely melt during the summer, coral reefs could perish, the Amazon rainforest could deteriorate into a savannah, and soil misuse would result in food crises. These irreversible occurrences would result in catastrophic extinctions and accelerate climate change. The real threat is not the survival of the planet but the survival of humanity. The question persists… will humanity help fight climate change and biodiversity loss to save ourselves and the futures of our children? Change begins with you!
Acrylic, Oil and Ink on canvas. 16×20″
Purchase an Artwork Print – $30 each.
40% of every print purchased will be donated to the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF)- a non-profit organization who are creating bold solutions for a better future, exposing corruption and destruction, and who Show up, speak up and Take action!
Click on the link below to enquire about your very own print.!
Make a Donation to ACF!
Click on the link below to donate to ACF!
“The solution has been staring us in the face all along. To restore stability to our planet, we must restore its biodiversity. The very thing we’ve removed.”
— David Attenborough, renowned British naturalist and broadcaster.
