The End of Cheap Oil as an Opportunity

Car/Bus/Bike (found at theartofwhere)

photo by Nathan Abels

I highly recommend this article by Claude Lewenz at WorldChanging, called "The End of Cheap Oil as an Opportunity". The author outlines how the American economy and habitat changed after the Great Depression and WWII - establishing a period of unprecedented economic growth based on the abundance of cheap fossil fuels.

In a letter quoted in the article, Stuart Udall writes, "As a freshman congressman in 1955, I regrettably voted with my unanimous colleagues for the Interstate Highway Program. All of us acted on the shortsighted assumption that cheap oil was superabundant and would always be available. This illusion began to unravel in the 1970s, and it haunts Americans today.

Oil lies at the epicenter of a critical energy crisis. Petroleum is a finite resource and is the most precious, versatile resource on the planet. Cheap oil played a crucial role in the development of American power and prosperity, and sustains the military machine that dominates the world today. Oil is now nearing a historic transition that will alter the civilization Americans have come to take for granted."

The article does not only specify the problem, but has an interesting proposal for building communities (referred to as "villages") that do not rely on the automobile. In fact, Lewenz expresses great positivity about the possibilities of the future, writing, "if cheap oil is a thing of the past, change will come. We can either suffer it, or realize it as a great opportunity."

Similar to James Howard Kunstler, this article's writer, Claude Lewenz points out how problematic the suburban environment truly is in the long term; "In simple terms, it is time to stop building new developments that are based on the shortsighted assumption that cheap oil would be abundant and would always be available. It makes absolutely no sense to build another suburb, another shopping mall or another office or industrial park where people must drive distances to get there."

I could quote nearly the entire article, but you should read it yourself. If you are curious about Peak Oil, gas prices, and the suburban environment, this is a great place to start.

Jarred De Palo at Newspeak

On a walk yesterday, I stumbled upon a great show of prints titled "Dependency" by Jarred De Palo. It is in the front of a tattoo shop that also sells some art supplies and clothing - called Newspeak (2907 E. Colfax - near the Shoppe and the Fabric Lab). I'm glad I walked in, because this is a show that should not be missed. The hand-pulled and editioned silk screened prints are all very reasonably priced - $30-60 if I recall right. They look like they are printed on high-quality paper with nice little embellishments near the signature. Jarred has composed a lot of clever and interesting silhouette designs, most of which are also being printed on some clothing. Check it out!



T-Shirt designs by Jarred De Palo (these same designs are printed in positive on white paper for the short-run editions).

Bill Admundson

Bill Admundson, "What Our New Home Thinks"

Bill Admundson, "Eight Custom Family Homes"
Bill Admundson, "3 Neighborhoods"

I had a great conversation with the very funny and energetic Bill Admunson yesterday at Sliding Door Gallery. Bill is also an artist who works in what he calls the "Suburban Regionalist mode". His works have a great sense of humor, just like the artist.

New Drawing

"Weight of Chance", Graphite and Colored Pencil on Paper, 11x15", 2008

higher res here

Sip & Slide

TONIGHT.
(this flier has been in my pocket a few days)



FRIDAY JUNE 1 3 6-9 P.M.
Another Fantastic Slide Show Event with a Potluck,
brought to you by the Colorado Photographic Arts Center.
Sign in at 6 p.m. and load up your slides (traditional or digital)
At 7p.m. the curtain will rise and the slide show begins.
The idea is simple, and has certainly been done before but we
think it will prove to be an excellent evening of showing and
viewing local creativity of all sorts.
Each artist will be limited to 10 slides.
Call 303-888-2679 for more information
or email taftkatie@gmail.com


Ironton - 3636 Chesnut

DenverArts Review

Norbert Schwontkowski

Norbert Schwontkowski, "FLOS", 2007, oil paint on canvas

40.5 x 61 cm / 15 x 24 1/8 "

Norbert Schwontkowski, "The world on time", 2006, oil paint on canvas

200 x 200.4 x 2.5 cm / 78 3/4 x 78 7/8 x 0 "

Norbert Schwontkowski, "Gestern unterwegs", 2006, oil paint on canvas

50.2 x 40.3 x 2.1 cm / 19 3/4 x 15 7/8 x 0 5/6 "

Norbert Schwontkowski, "DER RAND DER SICHTBAREN WELT", 2007, oil paint on canvas
160.6 x 160.6 cm / 63 1/4 x 63 1/4 "

Three works by Todd Keyser

Todd Keyser
Up Rooted
2006
Acrylic on Canvas
20"x20"
Todd Keyser
Glam
2006
Acrylic on Canvas
20"x20"
Todd Keyser
Corp.
2006
Acrylic on Canvas
50"x50"

The Course of Empire

I've been doing a lot of reading and watching lately about "Peak Oil" - the point at which the demand for oil exceeds the supply. Basically the world's oil supply is a bell-curve and at some point every oil well hits its maximum output. From there on it will produce less and less. The US oil supply peaked in the 1970s, which is why so much of our oil is imported now (and will increase to be so). Some scientists believe the world oil supply has already peaked, others believe it will happen in the next one or two decades.

I watched, "A Crude Awakening" recently, and I'm looking forward to my next netflix dvd called "The End of Suburbia", which more directly relates oil shortage or running out of oil with the collapse or decline of suburbia - an environment organized entirely around the automobile.

In a recent Kunstlercast, author James Howard Kunstler references a painting series by Thomas Cole called "The Course of Empire" in which the rise and fall of a empire is depicted through five paintings. Although our future world without oil may not be this bleak, it will be a much different future.

Thomas Cole's series "The Course of Empire" from 1834-36
The Savage State
Pastoral State
The Consummation of Empire
The Destruction of Empire
Desolation

Images from WikiCommons

Nighttime Series

For those of you who missed the opening on Friday, I had some short films running in another room at the gallery that accompanied a series of night photos. Here is an installation shot:

Here is the series of photos:



And here is the short film:

"A Blur Defines It" Installation Views

"Nevertheless" (left) "Pursuit" (right)



"Speed of Stopping" and "Awash" (left) "A Boundary, Not A Thing" (right)



"A Boundary, Not A Thing"



Title



"Deciduous"



Short Films by Nathan Abels, photographs by Nathan Abels



Untitled Sculptures by Nathan Abels



"Deciduous", "Without Haste, But Without Rest", "Monument"



"Nevertheless" (left) "Pursuit" (right)



"Speed of Stopping" and "Awash" (left) "A Boundary, Not A Thing" (right)

Opening Tomorrow (First Friday)

Eight new works will be on view starting tomorrow at Sliding Door Gallery

“A Blur Defines It”, New Works by Nathan Abels

The images in this exhibition are more brooding and atmospheric than his previous works and describe a sense of uncertainty primarily through landscape-based imagery. The places he depicts show evidence of an inevitable change through foreboding heavy clouds on the horizon or a dense settling fog. “A Blur Defines It” is a visual reflection of apprehension, mystery and anticipation. Opening June 6, at Sliding Door Gallery from 6-10 pm- 554 Santa Fe Dr, Denver, CO 80204. Exhibition runs from June 6-29th, and regular open hours are 1-5 pm Fridays through Sundays.

“Monument”, Acrylic and Oil on Panel, 24×36″, 2008 “Nevertheless”, Acrylic and Oil on Panel, 24×36″, 2008 “Without Haste, But Without Rest”, Acrylic and Oil on Panel, 24×36″, 2008 “Deciduous” Acrylic, Oil on Panel, 24×36″ “A Boundary, Not A Thing”, Acrylic and Oil on Panel, 24×36″, 2008 “Pursuit”, Acrylic and Oil on Panel, 24×36″, 2008 - detail view here"Awash", Acrylic on Paper, 11x15""The Speed of Stopping", Acrylic on Paper, 11x15"

New Sketch

While in our campsite in Zion National Park I did this little watercolor painting:


I was looking at this peak. More or less...

Fiona Lowry and Madeleine Kelly

Fiona Lowry, '...there shall be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left' Matthew 24:40-41, 2006, acrylic on canvas, 167 x 152 cm
Fiona Lowry, God and Sam Colt make all men equal, 2005, acrylic on canvas, 91 x 122 cm


Madeleine Kelly, Coalface, 2004. Oil on canvas, 131.5 x 185.5 cm. Collection Churchie Anglican Grammar School, Brisbane. © The artist

Great Cities of the World

Image by Andy Singer from a Peak Oil/Climate Change Art Show in San Francisco

Quite ironically, I was listening to yesterday's mentioned Kunstlerkast on my commute to work this morning. It is ironic because the one I was listening to was about parking garages and the influence of the automobile on our lives. In the discussion, James Howard Kunstler said, "You know, one of the upshots in America is that sure, we all have our own cars at our disposal all the time, but because of that, there’s almost no place in America that’s worth being in or going to. That’s one of the unintended consequences of mass automobile use is that you actually destroy the terrain so voraciously that nowhere is worth driving to."

James Howard Kunstler

I've noticed that lately I've been posting more about audio than painting or visual art. I suppose that is because I'm trying to finish up preparing for my show and I'm doing a lot more listening than looking right now. On last week's road trip I listened to a podcast from Humanist Network News that spoke with James Howard Kunstler about the "human habitat". He's very entertaining and informative in the interview, and I'd highly recommend listening to it:


I was especially interested in the emphasis that Kunstler made in the interview to criticize a lot of the hypocrisies or fallacies in modern environmentalist thought. In particular he notes that the current push to find new liquid fuel sources like ethanol shows the reluctance if not refusal to let go of the automobile and embrace other modes of transportation and urban planning. The description to one of his own podcasts sums this up well saying, "The problem in America is not that we're driving the wrong kind of cars, per se.The trouble in the United States is we're driving incessantly. We're driving every kind of car there is, incessantly. And we've got to find a way out of the incessant motoring and a way to live without it, and a happy way to live without it—not a punishment way to live without it, but a way to be happy and do it. And it means, really, a completely different paradigm for everyday life."

His book, The Geography of Nowhere is also highly recommended:


He's recently started his own weekly podcast called the Kunstlerkast - which you can find here.

Back

I'm back and I took a lot of photos...



here's one of my favorites:
A time-lapse of us setting up our camp-site in Mesa Verde National Park, and making some tasty chilli-dogs.

Music by Farquar Muckenfuss, called "I Think, A Convenience Store"