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Neon Nature, Jessamy G. Mcmanus Ms.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this work is to explore my painting of nature in our contemporary time, considering the current geological epoch termed the Anthropocene, an era I think of as postnatural. Neon Nature is a collection of portraits of hypernatural creatures I call “pseudo-specimens”. These pseudo-specimens symbolize hypernature, which describes manufactured nature as better than authentic nature. These specimens are painted in vanitas-inspired still life scenes to act as a reminder of our changing nature, or new-nature.

Influenced by living in suburbia where nature is manicured and controlled, I am interested in the divide between the “born” and the “made,” …