Still life painting of a yellow African Jerry Can with a bright red cap, painted in a traditional realistic oil painting style. (Jerry Can is a container for fuel or water. Many people in developing countries use it to haul and store their drinking water. )

I viewed Attewei Clottey’s amazing work at the 2021 Desert X and responded to his work by the traditional means of “plein air painting”. His use of upcycled jerrycans created contemplative and beautiful work that responded to his countries ways of carrying water. As a reactionary artist, this led me to think about the way I use water during an epic drought in California. I developed a number of pieces addressing my own relationship with water and this valuable resource.