Inherit The Earth - BG Mills

Inherit The Earth
Encaustic/ Mixed Media
26.3/8" x 20.3/8

From the Artist:

I am drawn to stories.
I tell them through my work using visual & tactile symbols. Stories are about connection-connecting to one another, the world and to oneself.
This story is about reminding us that we are of The Earth, just like a tree, a blade of grass or a river.

The Tree is the central image of this piece. There's a reason that trees most often appear in origin stories from different cultures, religions and civilizations around the world. Our human nature recognized that human life is vitally connected to trees, thus they have been woven into our stories. They are often symbolic of wisdom, life origin. Trees have also been seen as bridges between worlds -the world above & the world below.

In the case of this piece, “ Inherit the Earth”, there are three small french knots sewn into the grass beneath the tree. Each knot symbolizes a seed. Below each seed are red threads which mimic the rings of a tree which hold the history of a tree.
This is the tree’s ancestry . Seeds hold stories as well- they are the past, present and future all in a tiny pod. It contains all of the information within itself about what it needs for future growth, and its past environment.

Within a seed is a secret- stories of its inheritance to pass onto future generations.

While I am an urban dweller and can’t pretend to have an intimate connection to the land, yet I know it is true. Is it possible to get back to that truth, when one has been divorced from living in close relation to the earth?

It is through my art making that I attempt to touch upon that knowing. The Earth is our story, and this is what I hope to pass on through my art to others. If we recognize ourselves in the Earth’s story then we will protect, nurture and live in partnership with it.

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