Creating images stained with paint, “In My Back Yard” depicts the entrenchment of the fossil fuel industry in California and its legacy footprint in communities.

I grew up in southern California when Highway 1 was lined with pump jacks and smog alert days were a routine part of outdoor living.   A lot changed as California became a leader in energy regulation and renewables.  Yet, there are still over 2.1 million people who live within a half mile of an oil or gas well.  Active or not, these wells emit toxic gases in surrounding areas where cancer rates are higher than average and respiratory illnesses are common. Some families live adjacent to oil sites because of affordability, many are unaware of the risks.  Others I approached simply felt powerless, “What can you do?  It is what it is.”  

The paradox of California as a leader in clean energy management and an oil producer was hard to reconcile.  I wanted to raise awareness of health risks of urban oil facilities and give visibility to impacted and defenseless communities. 

After researching articles on urban derricks, I located sites to photograph. Applying petroleum based acrylic paints, I altered images to depict the insidious nature of seeping fumes, ozone forming gases and particulate matter. The intent was to make visible and visceral the polluted atmosphere and contaminated environment resulting from oil production and, when possible, expose where disguised wells are hidden from public scrutiny.