Since it was a GORGEOUS day out today and I spent most of the day outside in my local park, I started thinking about our beautiful and wonderful environment that's all around us. Anyone who knows me knows how much I care about making sure that our environment stays as a healthy and wonderful ecosystem, but unfortunately, we as humans don't always do a good job of making sure it stays that way. 

I deal with the subject matter of environmental devastation a lot in my art practice, and so I'm always interested in artists that can deal with this subject matter. One of those artists is conservation photographer Daniel Beltra who's photographs are haunting and sometimes shocking but still so beautiful.

“The fragile state of our ecosystems is a continuous thread throughout my work. It is in nature’s beauty and complexity that I find my inspiration. My photographs show the vast scale of transformation our world is under from man-made stresses. To capture this, I have found it is often best to work from the air, which more easily allows for the juxtaposition of nature with the destruction wrought by unsustainable development. Aerial photography gives a unique perspective emphasizing that the Earth and its resources are finite. By taking viewers to remote locations where man and nature are at odds, I hope to instill a deeper appreciation for the precarious balance we are imposing on the planet.” -Beltra

http://www.danielbeltra.com/

I also love the work of Valerie Hegarty who paints beautiful realistic landscapes a then either destroys them or leaves them out for the elements to do the work.