Katarina’s Drawing

Human and Nature Symbiosis

I drew this picture to show a healthy relationship between humanity and nature in the scene of a lovely day. I brought in themes from throughout this course including but not limited to, reciprocity, de-industrialization, environmentalism. Strawberries are a main feature in my drawing because something that has been with me since reading it is Robin Wall Kimmerer’s chapter “The Gift of Strawberries” from Braiding Sweetgrass. I tried to illustrate the themes from that reading into this by showing reciprocity between the characters and nature, sitting on the tree root, having the garden, being barefoot, and appreciating the juicy red strawberries. I also wanted to show people and not just a single gender  because I think that the feminist thing to do would be to show that this image is for everyone and it is possible for people of all genders to have a meaningful connection with the outdoors, not solely women. There is a small wooden cabin and native corn stalks to reminisce of Diane Wilson’s The Seed Keeper but also to represent a non-industrial living, one that is sustainable, modest, and content. I drew two figures laying on the wild grass basking in sunshine to further my theme of appreciating nature and the outdoors. The three plants I choose to plant in the garden are indigenous corn, peas, and strawberries, all plants which have held a special meaning embedded in our discussions and readings. I found many of the topics in this class to be somewhat saddening but also some planted hope. So, I wanted to give the image an overall feeling of optimism, that things can be changed for the better, and that we can once again connect to nature.