Mariah Reading: Waste Water
I have been contemplating my relationship with art and the vast amount of waste creating can produce. Classically trained as a landscape painter, I pivoted to eco-art when the parallel between painting landscapes and feeding landfills became overwhelmingly apparent. The landscapes that so richly inspired me were being hurt by the waste I created in order to depict them. To rectify this unwanted connection, I have developed a limited-waste practice that involves creating canvases from debris found during my travels through National Parks and protected landscape environments. The physical pieces of trash are painted only on one side and intentionally left untouched on the reverse so the original piece of debris remains evident. Once completed, I photograph the painted object aligned with the physical landscape to both obscure and highlight the discarded object. My practice revolves around ways I can lessen my footprint upon Earth and leave it better than I found it.
Mariah Reading is an eco-artist and strong advocate for the existence, preservation, and accessibility of the National Parks. She was born and raised in Bangor, Maine where the surrounding landscape gave her a deep appreciation of nature’s beauty that was reinforced by her degree in Visual Arts at Bowdoin College. The 2016 National Park Centennial propelled her Recycled Landscapes, designed to bring attention to the need of preserving and protecting the environment. Mariah has dedicated herself to the field of eco-art through her Artist in Residence at Acadia, Denali, Zion and Guadalupe Mountains National Parks, working as an Arts In the Parks Volunteer at the Guadalupe Mountains National Park, assisting in Yosemite Facelift efforts, developing a K-12 STREAM curriculum with University of California Santa Barbara Oceanography students, and creating conservation workshops with the Channel Islands National Park. She has exhibited work in San Antonio, TX; Seattle, WA; and Fort Collins, CO; Kamuela, HI; Poughkeepsie, NY; Davis, CA; Bar Harbor, ME; and Rockland, ME. From April through September Reading is an environmental interpreter for the Park Service.
Exhibition Highlights
Marshy Muck Boot, 2023
Oil on boot/ digital print on watercolor paper
Boot found in Gulf of Maine by MITA volunteers. Bass Harbor, ME (Wabanaki Confederacy Land).
Mariah Reading ‘Marshy Muck Boot’ Framed print 19”x25” Contact Gallery For Information
Mariah Reading ‘Marshy Muck Boot’ Paint on Reclaimed Material 12”x15”x4” Contact Gallery For Information
Snowy Saw Blade, 2023
Acrylic on metal saw blade/ digital print on watercolor paper
Blade found in Gulf of Maine by MITA volunteers. Ship Harbor, Acadia National Park, ME (Wabanaki Confederacy Land).
Mariah Reading ‘Snowy Saw Blade’ Framed Print 23”x23” Contact Gallery For Information
Mariah Reading ‘Snowy Saw Blade’ Paint on Reclaimed Materials 8”x8” SOLD
No Drone Zone, 2023
Acrylic on broken drone/ digital print on watercolor paper
Drone found in Gulf of Maine by MITA volunteers. The Beehive, Acadia National Park, ME (Wabanaki Confederacy Land).
Mariah Reading ‘No Drone Zone’ Framed Print 17”x22” Contact Gallery For Information
Mariah Reading ‘No Drone Zone’ Paint on Reclaimed Material 18”x18”x4” Contact Gallery For Information
Coastal Car Door, 2023
Acrylic on car door interior/ digital print on watercolor paper
Door found in Gulf of Maine by MITA volunteers. Seawall, Acadia National Park, ME (Wabanaki Confederacy Land).
Mariah Reading ‘Coastal Car Door’ Framed print 34”x23” Contact Gallery For Information
Mariah Reading ‘Coastal Car Door’ Paint on Reclaimed Material 4”x27”x4 Contact Gallery For Information
Tidal Paddle, 2023
Oil on paddle/ digital print on watercolor paper
Paddle found in Gulf of Maine by MITA volunteers. Painting of high tide, photo of low tide in Ship Harbor, Acadia National Park, ME (Wabanaki Confederacy Land).
Mariah Reading ‘Tidal Paddle’ Framed print 19”x23” Contact Gallery for Information
Mariah Reading ‘Tidal Paddle’ Paint on Reclaimed Material 7”x 71” 2” Contact Gallery for Information
Bass Harbor Buoy, 2022
Acrylic on buoy
Marine debris found in Acadia National Park, ME (Wabanaki Confederacy Land).
Mariah Reading ‘Bass Harbor Buoy’ Framed Print 19”x21” SOLD
Mariah Reading ‘Bass Harbor Buoy’ Paint on Reclaimed Materials 6”x20”x6” Contact Gallery for Information
Frozen Bike Seat, 2023
Acrylic on bike seat/ digital print on watercolor paper
Seat found in Gulf of Maine by MITA volunteers. Eagle Lake, Acadia National Park, ME (Wabanaki Confederacy Land).
Mariah Reading ‘Frozen Bike Seat’ Framed print 19”x21” Contact Gallery for Information
Mariah Reading ‘Frozen Bike Seat’ Paint on Reclaimed Material 7”x9”x3” Contact Gallery for Information
