Mira Clark
2018 Collection
existinspired.com
Acrylic and Gold Leaf on Canvas

This piece was inspired in part by Ginger Covert’s poem with the same title. The image of the Earth as a living being and nurturing mother served as a cultural constraint restricting the actions of human beings in many cultures for millennia. The Nisenan are one such culture. One does not readily slay a mother, digging into her for gold or mutilate her body. The Gold Rush of the 1850’s was devastating to the environment and the Nisenan, reflecting a very different perspective of the Earth’s value. Commercial mining required a specific belief system in regards to the Earth to carry out destructive acts against the environment and other living beings. This painting captures the violation of mining and this clash of beliefs. The Gold baby in this painting represents the precious metal that is like the unborn child of the Mother Earth.