Welcome to For Mother Nature
Working together we can save the remaining natural places on Earth. Here you can find talented artists and artisans supporting environmental organizations. Purchasing handcrafted items from them supports the arts AND the planet.
This is about artists so inspired by nature they pledge to support the work of environmental nonprofits. These organizations are on the frontlines of saving nature. These artists help make environmental conservation and protection possible. In this way, artwork becomes imbued with purpose, part of the urgent effort to save wildlife and wild places.
You can be part of this. Take a look at the participating artists, learn about the environmental work they support, and find out why artists are proud to participate. Are you an artist? Join us. You can change the world. Contact Cathy, founder of ForMotherNature.com.
Live in harmony with nature. Ideas are in my blog!
This is worth saving.
Many thanks to the photographers who share their inspiring images of nature here:
Dick Hoeft and Rosanne Arnowitz, brothers John and Dan Cesere, Judith Gale, and especially Floris van Breugel.
Hover your mouse over an image to see who the photographer is, and click on an image to see what the photographer has to say.
Just some of the environmental organizations supported by our artists
ForMotherNature.com Special Recognition Art Award Winner 2021
“In Honor of Nature” exhibition sponsored by The Healing Power of ART & ARTISTS
This award is for a work of art, in any medium and style, that most powerfully conveys the importance of protecting and saving wildlife and wild places. You can see all the artwork in the exhibition here.
The ForMotherNature.com Special Recognition Art Award is presented to Frantisek Strouhal for his artwork 'The Tree of Life'.
"Once I discovered my connection with Nature, the Universe turned into my divine home. My treasure and wealth are the burning sky at twilight, the blue halo of the ascending moon, the fragrance of the wild flowers, and the chatter of the birds. These are my home, the calmness and warmth in which my soul rest peacefully. As Nature’s patience is eternal, She is the one that is my real home. So that at every moment of the day, I find rest in my Mother’s divine nest."
– Artist Frantisek Strouhal
"The Special Recognition Art Award is about recognizing an artist who conveys the importance of protecting and saving wildlife and wild places. In Frantisek Strouhal's The Tree of Life, our ideal relationship with nature is simplified to its most basic state of open lovingness. Humanity approaches nature (as represented by the tree), with welcoming open arms. This loving attitude is what we need to save what can still be saved of the natural world. I think when people see this attitude expressed in art, it can help open their own hearts. And those who read Frantisek's words will see, as he does, that Nature is our home."
– Award presenter Cathy Berman, Founder of ForMotherNature.com
A selection of Frantisek's artwork
See more of Frantisek's artwork on his website FrantisekStrouhal.com.
And now an interview with Frantisek...
Tell me about your artistic process.
I use the ancient art of oil printing on watercolour paper to create my work. The process requires skill and precision, but also patience and deep trust.
To create my artwork, I use photography, digital collage, contact printing and lithography inks on watercolour paper. The paper is soaked in a gelatin bath and then dried. In the meantime, a digital negative is made, and contact printed under UV lights on the sensitized watercolour paper. The paper then becomes the Matrix for applying lithography inks, building layer upon layer to create the desired image.
You can watch the whole process here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7zEFwqznz0
What inspires you? Where do you begin?
My artistic ideas just come from the inside: moment in, moment out; feelings in, feelings out. My internal monologue shapes itself as a vision, an image which I sketch on a sheet of paper. To materialize this vision I capture the figure of live models with my 4x5 camera. These portraits are integrated with previously collected images of landscapes, architectural details, and still life in a collage effect, situating the personage in an imaginary environment.
And then what happens?
My studio, being the brightest room in our house with its skylights, is facing the mountain range, surrounded by fruit trees, and in the summer the delicate smell of wild violets scattered in the grass, and the luxurious scent of the lilacs. I prepare myself to ink the Matrix. It is then that I feel in perfect harmony with myself, totally in the moment. There is no time. My creativity just flowers. I enjoy the process of bringing the light out of the darkness in the artwork by erasing, clapping, and rubbing some of the inked layers off. The piece all of a sudden has a life of its own and is guiding my next move. I’m totally driven by it.
You can watch the inking process in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqoWBXNvy8A
What do you do when you are unsatisfied with a piece?
When I am unsatisfied with a piece, sometimes I just put it aside then come back to it later. If I think I can improve it then I work on it till I’m happy with the result. If I see that it will not be possible to work with it then I start all over again or create something totally new.
Tell me about your use of people in your artwork, be they man, woman, or child.
Working with my models, being man, women or child, in the studio our time together is usually nothing less than magical. Between shoots, we sit comfortably around the coffee table, the room dimmed with candle lights, we are open, honest and share the depths of our hearts.
I love to work with the human form. The human form is essential to my art work. It is the most universal symbol of beauty that stirs and satisfies my mind and heart.
Behind the camera in my studio, I can be who I am and see you truly.
I need to see
or I will perish.
This need to see
allows me to create
everything with passion.
It allows me to really see you.
In the stillness that arises
It’s uncertain who is speaking
and who is listening.
“The fog of our conditioning evaporates in the rays of our authenticity.”
How do you hope to affect viewers with your artwork?
I believe that by creating a work of Art I contribute to the work of the universal awakening of humanity, and help people to experience joy, and peace in themselves and also, remove and transform the cause of prejudices and fear. A work of art can help people grasp the nature of their sorrow and give them the ability to understand how to transform the negative and develop the positive in themselves.
What led you to combine photography, collage, and oil printing?
Always studying my craft and its history, I stumbled upon the Bromoil and Oil Printing processes, and immediately began learning and experimenting with these methods. And also being fond of the more classical and elegant aesthetics within any art form, I gravitated to nineteenth-century techniques, combining them with modern technology and a multimedia approach. This synthesis of procedures eventually led me to a breakthrough that would come to define my artistic life. The years of work culminated in my Art Embracing Awareness portfolios.
You have a very distinctive artistic style and voice. What would you say to artists hoping to develop their own style and voice?
I think artists would benefit if they would stop long enough to truly acknowledge strong works of art from the past -- in order to see how those powerful directions can be applied today. A lot of the art of today appears to have lost its soul. Some of the most praised work of today is little more than a conceptual aberration. In my opinion, this is the end result of intense academic programming. It is a shame.
It has long been argued that art schools are churning out “more of the same”. Additionally, it has been suggested that many art school graduates have failed to learn the basics.
Every artist should have a personal commitment to live with infinite care by putting intelligence, love, and art at the service of the world outside. We should strive to uplift the spirit, express care and show gratitude and appreciation for all. By doing this we can make a huge difference in the lives of ordinary people... while improving the public image of “The Artist”.
Tell me about your book, ILLUMINATIONS: Art Embracing Awareness.
Over the past few years, I have with my life partner Chantal co-written a book titled Illuminations: Art Embracing Awareness, along with my son Jakub.
Our book approaches the mystery of life and healing through the various platforms of the beauty of art and prose- what delights the eyes opens one to deeper levels of awareness. “ILLUMINATIONS” is a revealing portrait into our inner quest to understand and reconcile past traumas, forgiveness, gratitude, love, and most importantly the awareness of the present moment.
This collection of writings provides a unique opportunity for the reader to learn more about themselves and their interactions with the human society and the natural environment in which we live out our days.
We were looking for expressions that fed the soul and quieted the mind. We distilled into prose/poems the decades of study about spiritual psychology, anthropology, and science.
You can see the book trailer here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLZibS86L3c&t=4s
Is there anything else you would like to share?
Much of humankind has forgotten we are ourselves nature, and that we belong to the Earth. Each person has a personal responsibility to say “Yes” to a more conscious way of living. Our role within nature should be one of subsistence rather than commercialization. We have exploited the world for too long and the consequences of doing so are everywhere. As everything is related to everything, we have no right to interfere with the livelihood of any other species. In fact, our cognitive ability and understanding of nature require of us to maintain the integrity of the environment. So we must change how we influence the land. We must respect the natural order of things and find a way to live accordingly.
I also like to emphasize the relation of art to the dignity of man and the importance of the human spirit in art.
Thank you Frantisek, for your thoughtfulness in answering my questions.
See more of Frantisek's artwork on his website FrantisekStrouhal.com.
For anyone who would like to connect with Frantisek on social media, here are a few ways:
Facebook: frantisekstrouhal2015
Twitter: frantisekstrou1
LinkedIn: frantisek-strouhal-88604245
Instagram: frantisekstrouhal
Excerpts of writing from ILLUMINATIONS: Art Embracing Awareness
The breadth of nature
When we allow ourselves to quiet down, we inhale and exhale in harmony with all nature and gather energy from the Source.
If we can quiet down to the breath of nature, the truth of our being, like a gentle shower, will soak through the leaves and moisten the earth, and our spirit will blossom.
In the movement in which our thoughts quiet down to the rhythm of our heart, we feel a surprising synchronicity with nature and perceive the blessing in the ordinary.
This slowing down of our affective system is the most significant happening on the journey of uncovering ourselves. As we become freer of emotional swings, we are able to perceive our feelings, and they upset us less. This release from inner turmoil is immeasurable.
In quieting ourselves to nature’s breath, we are uniting with the invisible stream of energy in which life is constantly renewed and reborn.
Gratitude
The humblest and most meaningful way to become who we are, at one with nature, is through expressions of gratitude. Nothing else connects or draws together faster the language of the soul and nature.
To be grateful means to be thankful for everything we receive, including those things that previously triumphed over our egos and our inflexibility. If I had been able to get my hands on some of the things I longed for, they would have crippled me.
Occasionally throughout the day, allow yourself to show appreciation for the little things in life. Doing so draws all of creation closer, as effortlessly as a magnet attracts steel filings unto itself. So open your heart and give thanks, graciously accepting the abundance of all that breathes new life into your heart.
A rIver runs through it
A few metres away from our new country home, a spirited river flows through the rapturous valley.
The current is swift and strong, bursting with the liveliness of melting snow.
The water is pure and crystal clear. I am drawn to it.
I immerse myself, and the healing and cleansing cold enfolds my body.
I am the river, and the river is me.
Now I know why I have been crying so much.
Love rushes in and through me like a river of tears.
Fly away
Immersed in this new love,
Awaken.
Become like an eagle
Released from its cage.
Unfold your wings
And fly away.
Float in the colourful air,
Effortlessly still.
The silent sun is rising now.
Attention Artists: Sponsor EarthJustice because the Earth needs a good lawyer!
EarthJustice is working to uphold our nation's environmental laws.
It is not enough to have strong laws to protect nature, they must be enforced.
EarthJustice has been the legal backbone for thousands of organizations, large and small.
They represent all clients free of charge.
You can be part of supporting this effort.
Learn more about their work at EarthJustice.org.
An Opportunity to Make a Difference
If you are an artist or craftsperson, your art can be more than beautiful. Selling it can do more than pay the bills. It can help heal the planet. Imagine that. Take a look at what artists are doing for Mother Nature. Your art, whether fine art or craft, can change the world.
Our FAQs cover some basics of how artists participate and all the details of the website are in the Artist Commitment and Terms of Use.