“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature — the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.” Rachel Carson, A Silent Spring. These new works follow a journey in the company of Rachel Carson’s writings, a journey of reverent observation not only of nature’s obvious beauty but also it’s fragility, and ultimately an ode to its resilience. I have created this current body of work with traditional materials, oil paint, charcoal, conte crayon, watercolor and gouache. These time honored tools are key to my connection with the natural landscape. The places depicted are local to the Washington, D.C. area- the Rock Creek, the Anacostia River, the Potomac River, and the Chesapeake Bay-some as viewed from boats, most from walking and looking and listening. A Talmudic understanding of the world and its creation has God speaking every detail into being, it is my belief that artists and scientists are the adoring listeners, equipped to convey the beauty and fragility of the natural world, employing observation to remind us to pay attention, to be stewards, and to amplify this gifts importance in our hearts and minds.

Regina Miele
May 2019
The Women’s National Democratic Club
Washington, DC