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Choices: The Painting That Asks a Question We Can’t Ignore

When Art Becomes a Voice

In February 2026, my painting Choices was selected for the exhibition Art on the Offense at the Peoria Contemporary Art Center.

This wasn’t a quiet or neutral show.

More than 50 artists came together with a shared purpose: to create work that pushes back against censorship, injustice, and the erosion of democratic ideals.

The exhibition framed art as something powerful: a protest, a warning, a form of resistance, or even a spark of hope.

That context matters because Choices was never meant to sit silently on a wall.

Why I Painted Choices (Environmental Art with a Message)

I knew going into this show that the work would be political. And while I hold strong opinions on many issues, one concern rises above the rest for me: the future of our environment. Not in some distant, abstract way, but right now.

We are standing at a point where the decisions being made affect our land, our wildlife, and the long-term health of the world we depend on. What troubles me most is not just inaction, but the active dismissal of environmental issues, along with policies that move us further away from real solutions.

That tension - the urgency, the frustration, and the possibility - became the foundation for Choices, a piece of environmental art centered on climate awareness and human impact on nature. Because at its core, this issue comes down to something very simple: We have a choice.

YES! WE HAVE A CHOICE!

A Painting in Two Realities

Choices is physically as unusual as its message.

The piece is painted on a tall, triangular canvas, 36 inches high, with two visible sides. Each side tells a different version of the same world.

On one side, everything feels alive.

A clear blue sky stretches over green grass and wildflowers. A quiet stream winds through the landscape, where a deer pauses for a drink. In the distance, wind turbines turn gently – present, but not intrusive – representing renewable energy working in harmony with nature.

Turn the painting slightly, and the story changes.

The same landscape becomes barren and exhausted. The sky darkens. A fossil fuel plant looms in the distance, sending heavy smoke into the air. The stream is polluted, streaked with oil. And in the foreground lies a quiet, unmistakable symbol of environmental loss.

Two outcomes.
One shared space.

The Meaning Behind the Divide (Art About Climate Change)

What makes this painting different is that these two worlds are not separate. They exist side by side, divided only by perspective. Or more accurately, by decision.

Choices is a reflection on climate change, conservation, and the impact of human decisions on the natural world. It’s not about predicting the future, it’s about recognizing that the future is still being shaped.

Every decision – how we produce energy, how we treat the land, what we choose to ignore or confront – moves us incrementally toward one reality or the other. It’s easy to feel like these problems are too big, too distant, or out of our control. But this painting challenges that idea.

After the Sale: Why This Environmental Painting Still Matters

Choices has now been sold.

But like many original paintings, its story doesn’t end when it leaves the studio or even when it leaves the gallery. In some ways, this is where its purpose expands. Because the message continues wherever it’s seen, whether in a collector’s home or through this pos, inviting reflection on sustainability, environmental responsibility, and the future we are creating.

A Final Thought

Art doesn’t always give answers. Sometimes, its role is simply to make us pause long enough to recognize the weight of the question. Choices was created as part of a bold, thought provoking exhibition, but its message is deeply personal.

Not political in the abstract. But human. And immediate.

Which direction are we choosing?

My painting can still be viewed in person at the Contemporary Art Center of Peoria until April 17.