"See Something... Say Something” is a public service slogan that began to appear after 9/11 in the United States. I take this phrase deeply to heart in my Dharma (Theravada Buddhist) and art practice especially since 2016. My art bears witness to societal suffering in the form of the climate emergency, anti-immigrant hatred, gun violence, and police brutality. Some of the images have appeared as poster-size picket signs held in marches for social justice. Others (especially the painting Selfie 2020-2021) have emerged as objects of contemplation causing me to more deeply experience the binding forces of egoic attachments - particularly attachments to views and opinions. The final piece entitled “All is Aflame...” references the Ādittapariyāya Sutta: The Fire Sermon, SN 35.28 it inspires contemplation of both earthly beauty and the forces of destruction that both alarm and console us." - JP
