Kathi Packer

In Pablo Neruda's poem "How to situate the self" I found his ruminations over our physical decline and entrapment in our bodies a revealing assertion of nature's fragility and power. In reaffirming our spiritual and physical connection to this world, he echoes an ancient Mayan quest to explain our place in the overall scheme of things. "That culture considered nature as the substantive manifestation of the spirit, and the spirit as the true essence of nature" (Thomas Struth, 1992). I believe that a spiritual connection with the natural world exists when we accept our physical dependence. We age, decline and inevitably find ourselves the subject of a cyclical cosmic structure, of a moment caught in time between growth and decay, a journey shared by every living entity. We are inextricably bound with nature. I only hope that this identity moves us towards action that halts the slashing and burning of natural habitats, the disregard for our water and air and our continued lust for the exotic and rare. So I find myself painted in a "Garden of Eden", both as a witness to its beauty and biodiversity, and an unwitting participant in its destruction. Hopefully, these paintings will remind the viewer of our vulnerabilities as well as our responsibilities.

—January 2004

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