Both Jenny Pope and Craig Mains observe and report what is happening on our planet.  Pope focuses on animals and plants and the issues they embody. By putting a spotlight on matters ranging from endangered animals to invasive species, she hopes to encourage understanding and respect for the environment.  Her prints are usually reductive woodcuts. Each color is printed after carving away the previous layer.

Craig Mains’ imagery revolves around man-made structures and “transformative circumstances” brought on by nature.  His monotypes often employ repetitive elements suggesting mankind’s tendency to repeat ill-conceived endeavors; folly followed by calamity. Storm Surge & oil rig (ghost 2) is a xeotrope, which literally shows an oil rig cyclically and repeating being toppled by a violent storm.

Both artists tackle what could be overbearing subject matter (extinct or struggling species, environmental disasters) with such style and humor that the resulting works do not lecture but rather tell us rich stories full of irony.