LAND ART PROJECT 2022 ​

​SCWCA members engaged with the land over the Earth Day weekend in inspiring ways. Some participated in urban neighborhoods and backyards while others ventured to a beach, canyon or desert area. Sculptures, paintings and drawings found new homes amid the land. Assemblages and installations were created from natural materials. Many poignant photographs chronicle the import of nature to our lives. Art actions include awakening to the indigenous origins of the land. We learned
there is no right or wrong way to do Land Art just a willingness
​to interact with nature. 

Marthe Aponte
Debra Dobkin
Cathy Engel-Marder
​Marta Feinstein
Dellis Frank
Nancy Goodman Lawrence
Susan Karhroody
​Susan Kurland
Lynn Letterman

Lynda Levy
Monica Marks
Karena Massengill
​Sandra Mueller
Karen Schifman
​Nancy Spiller
Ann Storc
Barbara Tabachnick
Vivian Wenhuey Chen

LYNN LETTERMAN

​Marthe Aponte
Trees have long been celebrated for their spiritual signification. Dressing a tree is a ritual that is practiced by many cultures world wide. To celebrate Earth Day I have dressed a pine tree located in my gated community in Lancaster with a silk purple sari. It’s a way to express our relationship with trees celebrating them as a significant part of our ecosystem and inspiring our community to become responsible for the local environment.

Debra Dobkin
Everywhere that I look in our garden I see beautiful abstracts and still lifes. My world is good and I feel so lucky to be here in all of Mother Earth's glory. This piece was constructed with recycled materials, natural vegetation and 4 small mono prints on paper on a background bed of wood chips.

Cathy Engel-Marder
Daily Refill
As a kid I used to fantasize about God with his magic bucket, making sure the ocean always remained full.

Marta Feinstein
My new series is an alternative photographic process of one-of-a kind Lumen prints.  The images are created using various natural elements that reflect the ephemerality, imperfections, fragility and transience of life – in nature and in our bodies – unfixed, changing – moment to moment, with the randomness of never knowing what may happen next. 
These images were created on the land of the indigenous Tongva, Chumash and Kizh.

Dellis Frank
Environmental concerns are always at the forefront of any piece I create. Whether it is a social justice piece, nature, or an abstract the first thought is how will this work affect the environment. The two pieces I created for this Land Art exhibition are no different. The fun whimsical piece titled Oh the Places We Can Go is a play on the Dr. Suess classic “Oh the Places You’ll Go!”. The palm part had the features of a face, and I took it from there having fun with the accessories and placing it around my garden.
The second piece was done with a little more seriousness. I had disparate pieces that I felt would be great as an installation still life in the style of the old masters. The palm tree parts were being saved for another project as well as the algae, tree stump, lily and agapanthus stem. All destined for separate projects they came together for this temporary installation. All pieces have been deinstalled and await their permanent placement.

Nancy Goodman Lawrence
"Flower Head" was photographed in my driveway. I shot the photo with the flower blocking out the head in the shadow and then enhanced the flower color to make it playful and more abstract.
​
"Dripping Sap and Pearls" was photographed in my backyard. The dripping sap reminded me of pearls, so I added them to the drips.
 
"Embellishing the Lowly Weed" was taken in my backyard. I'm paying tribute to what is overlooked or "lesser." 

Susan Karhoody

Susan Kurland
This year for Earth day I made flower bombs with my 4th and 5th grade class. With recycled paper from the recycle bin they created paper pulp and then added flower seeds from last years harvested dried flowers. My intension in doing this project with the kids is twofold: that they will see that they can nurture, create and we are passing the baton to the next generation. What they learn now and do in the future will make a difference to
this planet.

Lynn Letterman
Animal Crackers in the Bark
When I play Golf, there is always time to look at the beauty around me. The trees, the land, even the deer look wonderful on the long fairways. I see animal crackers in the bark of the trees. Is it my imagination, or do you see them also ? 
​

Lynda Levy

Monica Marks
Our home is on the land of the Tongva and Chumash. This tree stump is what is left from the tree that once provided shade and joy to our family but sadly the tree became sick and died. To share my gratitude for all this tree provided for our family, last year I painted flowers and vines on the tree stump. This year I decided to paint a sunflower to honor the people of Ukraine, where my mother and her family are from.

Karena Massengill
My front yard is in the area of the Tongva indigenous people of California from the Los Angeles Basin and the Southern Channel Islands,
This image is meant to celebrate the Ukrainian peoples’ spirit with the sunflower. The butterfly symbolizes a tenacity and perseverance we all need to survive these times of war and climate change.

Sandra Mueller

Karen Schifman
Viva Ukraine: This piece dropped from one of my palm trees several years ago. I love its sculptural quality. For this exhibit, I wanted to add some paint to it and give it new meaning. I used the colors of Ukraine on the tips, and now its twists and turns reflect the chaos of a county under siege.
Rose: A specimen from my garden just picked yesterday reminds me to appreciate all that  nature can offer. I will preserve it under a glass cloche perhaps for eternity.
Both of these are in keeping with the running theme of memory found in my work.

Nancy Spiller

Ann Storc

Barbara Tabachnick
Landscaping with succulents, recycled pavers, and stones satisfies needs for beauty as well saving water. And you don’t have to give up green

Vivian Wenhuey Chen
​Dreams of the Driftwoods
These driftwoods, born in the Southern California mountains, dreamed of big dreams, drifted down the Los Angeles River, rushed into the Pacific Ocean where they checked their dreams, then rested on the Long Beach sands. I invited them home to live in my garden, where we reminiscence our dreams together