Lewis Andrews/ Summer Issue

The ‘Breathing Beings’ & ‘Story of Elapsed Time & Absorption’ drawings offer a visual investigation into the multiple breathing organisms populating our planet. Stemming from investigations into carbon-based life on our planet, these drawings often depict the Earth as a complex breathing machine of nature, with multiple carbon-based components regulating the gases in our atmosphere. Alongside investigations into the carbon-based building blocks of these organisms, the drawings highlight the delicate nature of our planet and the need to protect trees and forests.

‘Story of Elapsed Time & Absorption’ encapsulates within the time it takes to produce the drawing, the same time that millions of trees within the northern hemisphere absorb vast amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere and ‘exhale’ Oxygen. During the Winter months, these forests remain dormant. However, during the summer, they act like a giant machine and clear a large amount (not all, though) of the CO2 within the atmosphere.

Our planet turns into one giant organic breathing machine. Created during the summer months, within the time it takes me to paint the lines within the tree rings, more CO2 has been absorbed from the atmosphere. The Carbon from the CO2 will be stored within the wood and tree rings during photosynthesis. It is clear that there is a desperate need to retain our forests to maintain our planetary paradise and the health of our planet’s lungs.