EcoArt 2: Paint Nature on Old, Ugly Walls

EcoArt 

Paint Nature on Old, Ugly Walls

"Make a forest grow on dead concrete,

in our hearts, joy and reverence." - avr

Wall Murals painted by Dr Abe V Rotor

A child from the neighborhood delights in hugging a make-believe 

concrete tree before a wall mural background painted by the author 

at his residence in QC Metro Manila

The magic of art is transformation:

ugly to beautiful,

ruthless to kindness,

useless to valuable,

aesthetic to functional,

dull to creative,

academic to practical,

prosaic to expressive,

static to dynamic,

passive to active

fantastic to realistic,

inertia to momentum,

ad infinitum.

"We build too many walls and not enough forests." 

(A nature-inspired twist on Isaac Newton's famous bridge quote)

Cover the scars of the city with the wildness of the earth.

Concrete can bleed, but concrete can also bloom.

Abandoned walls, visible and invisible,

disturb our peace, but who cares?

The essence of mythology and history,

 forgotten in time and space.

Relics and ruins these walls stand for,

affront to dignity and beauty;

cruel to the eye, fateful and uncaring,  

waking up our guardian's  duty.

Outer side is replica of the inner side,

like Blake's analogy of a dog 

starving at its master's gate predicts

the ruin of state, a prologue.

Art, art, wake up to this urgent call,

cover the scars of indifference,

make a forest grow on dead concrete,

in our hearts, joy and reverence.

"Imagine a city where everyone could draw whatever they liked... 

awash with a million colors." — Adapted from Banksy, a pseudonymous England-based street artist, political activist, and film director. He has never publicly confirmed his identity.

Bring home the stream, valley, trees 

filled with birds and breeze;

art, for thou art sacred and beautiful,

to these children after school.

"Painting from nature is not copying the object, it’s realizing one’s sensations."

— Paul Cézanne (French Impressionist painter)

   Old wall transformed into waterfall,

for birds to gather from the sky,

   abode in the wildlife like our home,

all creatures that crawl and fly.

"If you can paint one leaf, you can paint the world." 

— John Ruskin, an English polymath – a writer, lecturer, 

art historian, art critic, draughtsman and philanthropist. Wikipedia

Picnic by a wall mural of nature,

game and make-believe gesture.

"Nature is painting for us, day after day, pictures of infinite beauty." — John Muir,

"Father of the National Parks", a Scottish-born American naturalist, author, environmental philosopher, botanist, zoologist, glaciologist, and early advocate for the preservation of wilderness in the United States. Wikipedia

Imagine the wall, bare and empty,

without these kids, jolly and happy.

"To the artist there is never anything ugly in nature." — Auguste Rodin

(French sculptor generally considered the founder of modern sculpture.)

*Painting a nature mural on a cracked, weathered, or "ugly" wall is a powerful act of transformation. It uses the organic textures of decay to breathe new life into a space.

Here are curated quotes and sayings—ranging from art history masters to urban poetry—perfect for pairing with, or inspiring, a nature wall transformation. AI Overview

"I paint flowers so they will not die." — Frida Kahlo,

(Mexican painter whose were greatly inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico.) 

Reverse Evolution in Man's Hand in 10 scenarios

  Reverse Evolution in Man's Hand in 10 Scenarios

“Man has reversed the process of evolution and he has put into his hands the pattern and trends as he wishes, playing the role of his Creator.” - AVR

Dr Abe V Rotor

Reversed Evolution, acrylic painting by the author 2022

1. The world everywhere, from the tundra down to the rich tropical forests, faces unabated threats to wildlife destruction, as human activities continue to defile nature not only of its flora and fauna but of natural habitats.

2. While the target of conservation is the protection of plants and animals particularly those that are considered to be facing extinction and are being endangered, the greater concern of ecology is the protection of natural habitats and ecological systems.

3. On another front of human activities often characterized by man’s quests for the “good life” through industrialization he believes to be the prime mover of progress and development, the production of unwanted by-products threatens the earth’s dynamic processes, Already the emission of gases from burning fossil oil has resulted to two serious consequences; thinning of the ozone layer, and the building up of heat of the atmosphere resulting to global warming.

4. As human population continues to escalate which is going to double the present 8 billion mark within a decade, more and more people now believe that only by heeding the Malthusian prediction that our world may be spared of unimagined scenario of mass starvation and death.

5. On the other hand, quests for new frontiers of science has led us to the fore – unlocking the code of heredity that may soon replace conventional breeding, resulting thus far in the production of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) and Genetically modified Food (GMF).

 

6. The other frontier is man’s interplanetary travel beyond the distance of the moon, and for such ambitious adventure, man will have to learn to adjust to life in space and in the planets, he targets at visiting. Interplanetary travel takes years, many years Into the unknown man carries the environment of the earth in a capsule or bubble. Space biology studies not only the effect on man but to plants and animals as well – some kind of man-made ecological system in space. We have virtually started a new field, space ecology.

Ecological devolution in acrylic by the author

7. If a third world war is to come, what kind of war is it? People are in a quandary, even those who are witnesses of the last world war and different wars after that. On media, a third world war is really global and the enemy stalks, respecting no boundaries of politics, culture and faith. It will be a war everyone is concerned of – real or psychological, covering the ultimate warfare materiels - nuclear, chemical and biological.

8. On the concept of human habitat, how ideal can planning get close to it has been demonstrated in some models, which is far from the answer of what a human community should be. The crux of the problem is in drawing up a treaty between nature and man. Could this be an alternative to cities and high rise buildings?

9. Terms like ecotourism, ecomigration, ecozones, etc. are jargons often disguised economic programs, rather than ecological in purpose. As such, projects of this kind must be reviewed in the light of ecology rather than economics.

10. Zero waste management is ideal, it is a utopia of a modern world. But looking at the experiences of industrialized countries like Japan, Germany and Norway waste is just another resource waiting to be tapped. Why not? Isn’t garbage the excess of our wasteful luxurious living? ~

"Let's connect our children with Nature in everyday life.."

"Let's connect our children with Nature 

in everyday life."(Internet)

Living with Nature Center

San Vicente, Ilocos Sur

Wall mural of nature attracts children from the neighborhood

Dr. Abercio V. Rotor is a Filipino environmental advocate, educator, writer, and former government official best known today for his “Living with Nature” philosophy, his books such as Living with Nature in Our Times (National Book Award, 2008), and his leadership of the Living with Nature Center in Ilocos Sur. AI Overview

Dr. Abercio V. “Abe” Rotor is a contemporary Filipino figure whose work spans ecology, education, literature, and public service. His influence today is rooted in environmental advocacy, sustainable living education, and cultural preservation.

Key Roles and Contributions
1. Environmental Advocate & Author

o Promotes the Living with Nature philosophy, a holistic approach to ecological awareness, sustainability, and mindful living. blogspot.com

 

Living with Nature Center at San Vicente, Ilocos Sur

o Author of award‑winning books, including:

  .The Living with Nature Handbook (Gintong Aklat Award, 2003)
  . Living with Nature in Our Times (National Book Award, 2008)
  . Living with Nature in Our Home and Community blogspot.com

2. Founder & Head of the Living with Nature Center Located in San Vicente, Ilocos Sur, the center serves as:

o A botanical garden and wildlife habitat
o A community learning hub for ecology, agriculture, and culture
o A family museum and heritage site
o The center integrates art, nature, and education, reflecting Rotor’s lifelong advocacy. blogspot.com

3. Educator and Cultural Worker

o Conducts workshops, lectures, and community programs on ecology, sustainable living, and Filipino heritage.
o His blog Living with Nature – School on Blog continues to educate readers on environmental ethics, agriculture, health, and culture. blogspot.com

4. Former Government Official

o Served 22 years in government, including as director of the National Food Authority and consultant on food and agriculture in the Philippine Senate (1976–1989). blogspot.com
o Advocated for integrating economics and ecology in national development policy.
His Relevance “In Our Times” Internet

Today, Dr. Rotor is regarded as:

o A leading voice in ecological consciousness and sustainable living in the Philippines

o A mentor to students, researchers, and communities seeking practical environmental solutions

o A cultural steward preserving Filipino heritage through writing, art, and community engagement

o A public intellectual whose teachings resonate amid climate change, food insecurity, and environmental degradation

o His work remains influential because it connects environmental science with everyday life, culture, and national identity. Internet

Outdoor Summer Art Workshop at the Living with Nature garden,

San Vicente, locos Sur

When does selfishness end and selflessness begin?

When does selfishness end and selflessness begin?
Dr Abe V Rotor

V-formation of migrating wild geese to ease their flight. Those at the lead break the inertia of air resistance, and will fall back to rest later as others take over. (See movie Fly Away Home)

All organisms, simple or complex, plant or animal – and human – are governed by genes, which through the long process of evolution, are the very tools for survival in Darwin’s treatise on Survival of the Fittest through Natural Selection.

The acquisition of successful genes is key to the survival of present day species, and the explanation on the failure of those which did not. Two words are important: adaptation and competition. This dual attributes are directed to self-preservation through the process of acquiring the basic necessities of life either by adjusting to it passively or actively. Definitely it is not one that is easy to share to the extent of losing its benefit in favor of another.

But if we analyze it, this is true to each individual. Now organisms do not live as individuals; they live as a community, as a society. Which leads us to the logical inference that if the individual organism, in order to survive must be selfish, then how can it be able to establish a community in which it ultimately become a part?

This is very important because the community is the key to resource sharing from food to space; it is the key to collective bargaining in times of peace or war. The community is like a bundle of individuals behaving singularly. It is collective planting time when the monsoon arrives, harvesting when it ends. The rituals that go with such activities enhance the success of bonding, and enshrine it into an institution.

Institutions were born from socio-economic needs which spontaneously developed into cultural and political rolled into one complex society. To answer where selfness starts is easier to answer than where selflessness begins.

If the premise is biological what proofs can we show that it is so?

• Social insects – ants, bees and termites – bind themselves as a colony. Any attack on the colony sends soldiers to fight the enemy. Paper wasps sting as intruders. The honeybee does not consume the nectar and pollen it gathers, but brings the harvest into the granary from which it get its share later. An ant clings to death at an enemy. When a bee sting, its abdomen is ripped away and is surely to die.

• Starve an aphid or a mealybug, and it will produce young prematurely – even without first becoming an adult. This is called paedogenesis. Or an adult may produce young without the benefit of mating and fertilization. This is parthenogenesis.

• A plant stressed by drought will cut its life cycle short in order to use the remaining energy to produce offspring. This is true to grasshoppers or caterpillars – they skip one or two moulting and metamorphose so that they can mate and reproduce.

• The spacing of plants is determined not only of soil and climatic conditions that control the growth and development, but by a biological mechanism known as allelopathy. A date palm will kill its own offspring around its trunk and under its crown. Those that grow outside its shadow becomes a part of the oasis’ vegetation.

• Bacteria, yeasts, and other microorganisms go into luxury feeding where there is plenty, and nature seems not to mind, until they consume the food, and worse until their waste accumulates and becomes toxic. This is called autotoxicity. Thus in fermentation, it is the toxic material - alcohol - that eventually kills the yeasts themselves, and another process follows until the organic forms of compounds are transformed and ultimately returned as inorganic ready for use by succeeding organisms.

• The dalag and many other species of fish eat their young leaving only those that can escape. Here the advantage of controlled population and survival of the fittest are shown.

• Vultures seldom attack a living prey; they wait to its last breath. A male lion will kill a cub which it did not sire. But we know too, that there are surrogate mothers in the wild like the cuckoo, and among domestic animals.

Because of the complexity of social behavior, Dr E O Wilson of Harvard University, attempted to explain many of the observed behavior into a field of biology he called sociobiology. In a simple illustration, if your child is about to be hit by a fast oncoming vehicle, a mother would risk her life to save him. Dr. Wilson would then asks a third party if he or she would do the same thing to a child who is not his own – much less without any relations.

 Ipil-ipil plant lice (Psylla sp) form colonies in sheer number causing defoliation of the host plant. When starved, the nymphs may produce youngs (virgin birth), a rare phenomenon in nature called paedogenesis.

This leads us back to our previous question: When does selfishness end and selflessness begin?~

"Nature, Nature on the wall, who is the fairest of all?"

"Nature, Nature on the wall,

who is the fairest of all?"

  

Dr Abe V Rotor

"Nature inspires, we create."

- Camille Vandaele

Children from the urban neighborhood delight in imagining a huge wall mural of nature to be true. Painted by the author at his family residence in QC, Metro Manila.

"Nature, Nature on the wall,

who is the fairest of all?"

The phrase is a clever twist on the famous line spoken by the Evil Queen to her Magic Mirror in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of all?" AI Overview

"Must we always teach our children with books? Let them look at the mountains and the stars up above... To think is the beginning of a real education.” — David Polis ~

Humanities weaves a beautiful tapestry of humanity. Humanities is the universal language of goodness, beauty and peace.

Humanities weaves a beautiful tapestry of humanity

Abercio V Rotor, PhD*

Living with Nature - School on Blog

Dedicated to teachers and students of Humanities, a 3-unit subject in college.

Lesson: Humanities is like the mythical Janus, not because it has a happy face and a sad one at the opposite, but because students taking up the course are divided, in the same way our brain is divided into two. Well, perhaps there are those who are more inclined to the reasoning left, while others on the creative right. The ideal however, is a well-balanced use of both hemispheres, and a healthy tandem that brings a wholesome and holistic use of our faculties. Through humanities, we learn to use properly reason and imagination, logic and creativity - in fact, the eight realms of intelligence - in our everyday life, and in our pursuit of our ambitions and dreams.

Monument of Fr. Miguel Benavides, founder of the University of Santo Tomas, now on its 400th year (quadricentennial). UST is well known for liberal arts, the precursor of all fields of knowledge.

Humanities as a subject and course focuses on four fields of art, namely, spatial (painting, sculpture, architecture, creative photography, literature ( prose and poetry), music and drama which are usually combined, together with the others, into what we call performing art. These, through their themes and applications are link to the various disciplines, from theology to natural science. In fact, humanities takes us to the highest plane of goodness and beauty and peace.

“Son, what do you remember as the happiest moment in your life?” asked a dying old man on his deathbed.

“When we went fishing, dad, and caught fireflies on our way back to camp.”

The old man held the hand of his son tight, and smiled looking at him. “Thank you.” It was a parting sealed by the sweetest memory of life - childhood, love and nature

1. Humanities brings out the sense of awe and wonder

Humanities brings out the sense of awe and wonder, specially to the young, of the things around, of life processes and cycles, the passing of seasons and ages. It makes one aware of even the minute existence of things, the transformation of the ordinary into something beautiful.

Wonder the summer night, camping by a lake, home outside of home,

no walls, no roof but the sky, stars and fireflies mingle in the dark;

Wonder the breeze blow and weave through the trees, comb the grass,

carry into the sky kites of many colors flying under the rainbow’s arch.

“The sense of wonder is indestructible, that it would last throughout life, an unfailing antidote against the boredom and disenchantment of later years.” Says Rachel Carson, author of Silent Spring. It is true, the sense of wonder prepares the young to face the world and conquer it.

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Philippine Literature Today: A Travelogue Approach (co-authors Abercio V Rotor and Kristine Molina-Doria, C and E Publishing Co.) aims at guiding students, in the light of present day trends, to trace back the foundation of literature’s basic tenets and principles and preserve its integrity and true essence. Four pillars of Philippine literature stand sentinel to help the students answer the question “Quo vadis?” To where are we heading for?

Four great Filipinos are acclaimed vanguards of Philippine Literature. The cover of the book, conceptualized and made by artist Leo Carlo R Rotor, depicts the theme of the book - travelogue in literature with these heroes. Jose Rizal on politico-socio-cultural subjects, including ecological, Rizal being an environmentalist while in exile in Dapitan, Misamis Oriental, Mindanao; Francisco Baltazar or Balagtas on drama and performing arts in general, fiction novels and plays, evolving into stage show and cinema; Severino Reyes or Lola Basyang on mythology, children’s stories, komiks, and a wealth of cartoons and other animations and Leona Florentino, the Philippines’ Elizabeth Browning, Ella Wilcox, Emily Bronte et al, epitomize the enduring classical literature.

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2. Humanities builds on the framework of truth and values

Fewer words set the mind to explore, giving way to imagination, over and beyond reason. Brevity is the framework of the mind, the heart and spirit in the Lord’s Prayer and the Gettysburg Address of America’s most loved president, Abraham Lincoln. It is a path to humility in greatness. It unites the classic and the contemporary.

If the story of the Creation can be told in 400 words, if the Ten Commandments contain 297 words, if Lincoln’s immortal Gettysburg Address was only 266 words, if an entire concept of freedom was set in the Declaration of Independence in about 1,300 words – it is up to some of us to use fewer words, and thus save the time energy, vitality, and nerves of those who must read or listen. (Jerome P Fleishman)

3. Humanities brings out the human spirit

Guernica, a plaza mural made by the greatest modern painter Pablo Picasso, ignited popular revolt against the Nazi regime. On his huge mural were cleverly embedded images that conveyed principles of truth and freedom, and secret call for action.

Similarly, in an earlier era, our own hero Juan Luna painted Spolarium, (centerpiece of the National Museum), a mural depicting the Filipinos under Spanish rule suffering like the gladiators during the Roman times, a visual message for the people to realize their plight. Later Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere, one of the greatest books ever written in the category of War and Peace by Tolstoy, and Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, extolled the rise of a new world order – post-colonialism and the birth of new nations.

4. Humanities brings tranquility in crisis

It may be strange to know that Winston Churchill, the great English hero of WWII, still found time to paint by the bank of the Thames. Arts bring tranquility in times of crisis, and elevate the senses on a higher plane of vision. Putting down his brush and easel, he would then return to the battlefield with greater revolve to save Great Britain from the raging war. And to a greater surprise, what was it that Churchill painted? Peace.

It was the other way around five hundred years earlier when the great Michelangelo who single handedly painted the huge ceiling of the Sistine Chapel would descend from the scaffoldings, exchanged his paint brush with sword and fought side-by-side with his benefactor the Pope, and when victory was apparent would climb back to finish his masterpiece. The result: the biggest composite mural that virtually brought God down to earth with the angels and saints, making the Sistine Chapel a microcosm of the Kingdom of Heaven.

5. Humanities is guardian of movements and schools

Lascaux caves in southwestern France contain over 600 remarkable prehistoric wall paintings and 1,500 engravings created approximately 17,000 to 22,000 years ago during the Upper Paleolithic period. Wikipedia

From the paintings of early man in the Lascaux caves in France, to the surrealism of Salvador Dali, humanities has kept faithful to the evolution of human creativity expressed in various aspects of human life, pouring out from palaces and cathedrals to the villages and streets. For arts no longer belonged to selected societies and cultures. Impressionism took over Romanticism and translated Realism on the grassroots, subsequently bypassing standards of perception, and permeating into the unconscious seeking expression and catharsis. Expressionism founded by Vincent Van Gogh opened a wider door to abstractionism that subsequently spilled into post-modernism.

“What’s abstract? a young art enthusiast

once asked, dutifully I answered:

“When you look through the window of a car

running so fast that views are blurred.”

“What’s expressionism?” an elder one asked;

“When the car stops, or just about,

yet still running inside, seeking, searching

for the spring of life to pour out.”

“And what is impressionism?” a third asked,

and I said: It’s sitting on a fence -

On one side Amorsolo, the other Ocampo,

It’s the spirit of art past and hence. ~

Humanities is the universal language of goodness, beauty and peace. (AVR)

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*Excerpt from the Internet: Dr. Abercio V. Rotor is a prominent figure in the field of humanities and art, particularly known for his contributions to Philippine literature and ecological themes. He has authored several books, including "Living with Nature in Our Times" and "The Living with Nature Handbook," which emphasize the importance of literature in preserving the integrity of the humanities and addressing environmental issues. Rotor is also recognized for his eco-poetry and has received several awards for his literary works, including the National Book Award for his contributions to science and literature. His work encourages sustainable thought and action towards environmental conservation. ~

Unity - Common Denominator of Science and Art (SciArt)

Unity - Common Denominator 

of Science and Art (SciArt)*

Dr Abe V Rotor

Common Denominator in Science and Art in acrylic by the author 

  

Details showing unity of theme.

Darwinian or Lamarkian, scientists still in debate,

     the ultimate end though is one and the same:

species in dynamic change towards homeostasis,

     evolution is science and art, battle and game. 

* SciArt is the interdisciplinary intersection where scientific inquiry and creative artistic expression merge to explore, interpret, and communicate complex concepts. AI