The View from the Road: Darwin

In this ongoing project, begun in the isolation of the early pandemic, I am using Google Street View to follow the route Charles Darwin took with the Beagle (1832-36), and making tiny, postcard-sized paintings of what I discover. Like Darwin, I am dedicated to close observation and guided by curiosity. The observations of the natural world Darwin accumulated on his trip led, years later, to the theories of natural selection and evolution he set forth in On the Origin of Species. My own journey is taking place during a time that is undeniably Anthropocene, and I find my observations are leading me instead to ideas about what it is to be human.

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The paintings below are all 4x5.25 inches and painted with oil on panel. I am about 2/3 done with the project and will update this page as I complete more paintings. ​An Instagram account for this project can be found at @darwin.theviewfromtheroad