Since prehistoric times springs have been key to humanity’s survival. Unfortunately arid and semi-arid land springs, and their supporting aquifers in North America are endangered and disappearing at a rate that continues to increase as the water crisis in the West prevails across lands that are the driest they have been in 1,200 years. Being an artist who is passionate about the water crisis and water scarcity in the West, I am drawn to their story as unseen yet essential details whose importance is misunderstood.

Living on the Colorado Plateau I was struck by the contrast between spring-fed oases and their parched surroundings. I noticed how a landscape of drought and aquifer overuse can drain color out of the environment. The toned colors of Maynard Dixon’s Western landscape paintings provided my inspiration to use color to imply the vulnerability and precarious future of dry land springs. This series is an intersection of art and ecology where I interpret scientific data visually and viscerally to humanize its complexity, while at the same time addressing a wider view of climate change and its impacts on dry land springs by making them feel accessible and personal in order to encourage engagement in their stewardship.

Currently there is a lack of public information on the importance of these waters and the need for their protection; conservation is inconsistent at best. Springs continue to hold vital clues to the health and longevity of the underground aquifers we depend on and the loss of these significant ecosystems will continue to threaten our ability to live in dry places. If we want any chance to combat the climate crisis, then the importance of recording these last few ecological sites before they are gone, and capitalizing on these opportunities to raise awareness, cannot be understated.The time is now.