Artist's Statement

My recent work acknowledges and honors the image of the Madonna through centuries of Western artistic tradition.  Though I began with images from antiquity, I now create my own images, using models and clothing created for the purpose. I am moved to explore the concept of the Madonna because she is a symbol of protection and intercession that mediates between heaven and earth. I am deeply concerned about the degradation of the natural world, which increases in relation to human population growth.  As I watch the changes happening in climate that affect our world (Arctic sea ice melting, fires in the Western US and Australia, hurricanes in the South, to name just a few), I feel alarmed.  Those who cherish the natural world cannot help feeling concern for wildlife and wild places.  I paint these images to illuminate my passion for the creatures that share our world.

Anne Pentland
www.apentland.com