Collaboration
Visioning Through Art:
I am a solarpunk illustrator who collaborates with people and organizations who are building liberatory futures.
My lush and and inviting illustrations provide a window into a future that these activists make possible. Together we weave current work, actionable goals, ambitious dreams, and the fantastical or surprising. Most importantly, the art should inspire joy. Once complete, each painting is scanned at ultra-high resolution so that it can be printed as banners, murals, and other public installations.
While some of my paintings are born from my own connection to the land and community, collaboration is at the heart of my practice. These collaborations may involve a single visionary, a small team, or an organization.
How the art supports the visionaries I work with:
The finished illustration can be used by my collaborators to communicate with supporters and strengthen their vision. They can use the image in any way that they deem useful, such as communication, fundraising, merchandise, grant applications, gifts, decor, presentations, and educational materials. In the spirit of the Creative Commons, I place full trust in my collaborator's judgement in how the image is used.
An additional value is the collaborative process itself. Playing in a hopeful visionary space can be a clarifying, motivating, and comforting intervention on the sometimes arduous path of change-making.
Inspiring hope and vision in the world:
When these paintings are exhibited online or in exhibitions along with my other collaborations, viewers gain a sense of the transformative potential already existing in their world.
I have received feedback at all of my shows that the art gives viewers hope, inspiration, and ideas for joining movements themselves. I've even watched people look up my collaborators and sign up for their events while standing in front of the artwork. These paintings don't just illustrate a vision—they invite people to become part of it.
Standard collaboration timeline:
Each collaboration is unique, but a typical project unfolds like this:
Session 1:
(Held at least one day later, so I can put together a proposal sketch):
Afterward:
I am a solarpunk illustrator who collaborates with people and organizations who are building liberatory futures.
My lush and and inviting illustrations provide a window into a future that these activists make possible. Together we weave current work, actionable goals, ambitious dreams, and the fantastical or surprising. Most importantly, the art should inspire joy. Once complete, each painting is scanned at ultra-high resolution so that it can be printed as banners, murals, and other public installations.
While some of my paintings are born from my own connection to the land and community, collaboration is at the heart of my practice. These collaborations may involve a single visionary, a small team, or an organization.
How the art supports the visionaries I work with:
The finished illustration can be used by my collaborators to communicate with supporters and strengthen their vision. They can use the image in any way that they deem useful, such as communication, fundraising, merchandise, grant applications, gifts, decor, presentations, and educational materials. In the spirit of the Creative Commons, I place full trust in my collaborator's judgement in how the image is used.
An additional value is the collaborative process itself. Playing in a hopeful visionary space can be a clarifying, motivating, and comforting intervention on the sometimes arduous path of change-making.
Inspiring hope and vision in the world:
When these paintings are exhibited online or in exhibitions along with my other collaborations, viewers gain a sense of the transformative potential already existing in their world.
I have received feedback at all of my shows that the art gives viewers hope, inspiration, and ideas for joining movements themselves. I've even watched people look up my collaborators and sign up for their events while standing in front of the artwork. These paintings don't just illustrate a vision—they invite people to become part of it.
Standard collaboration timeline:
Each collaboration is unique, but a typical project unfolds like this:
Session 1:
- A short presentation on solarpunk and the role of speculative art in social change.
- A facilitated round of Solarpunk Pen Pals activity, where participants begin to generate personal visions of a solarpunk future.
- A group discussion about what is most important to communicate about what the organization envisions for the future.
(Held at least one day later, so I can put together a proposal sketch):
- I share a preliminary sketch and gather feedback.
- We create an agreement about how I can use the image. Creating this agreement gives me peace of mind that my use of the image remains aligned with my collaborators' intentions. These are some ways I might use the painting in the future that we can agree upon:
- Sale of the original painting
- Adaptation for public murals
- Registration in the Creative Commons (allowing remixes within the solarpunk community)
- Language used in image captions and accompanying text
Afterward:
- I complete the painting either in my studio or during an on-site artist residency.
- When grant funding allows, I produce a large printed banner, print, or vinyl mural of the final piece for the organization.
- The organization receives high-resolution digital files of the finished artwork.