2026

GLOBAL WARMING IS REAL

RESILIENCE

EXHIBITION

MERSHONA PARSHALL

MERSHONA PARSHALL

(Cedar Crest, NM)

Forest Ancestors

encaustic, 18 x 24 x 1.5 inches

$725 + $50.75 tax + $65 shipping fee  =

$840.75 Total Price

Artist Statement:

Our wild forests are ancient places of mystery and magic.  The trees are its inhabitants and are vital to reducing climate warming.  This piece highlights the magnificent American Chestnut tree that inhabited 25% of the eastern forest with a native range from southern Ontario to Mississippi.  It has been called the Redwood tree of the East and could grow to over 100 feet tall.  The American Chestnut tree provided food and medicine to native peoples and was even called the bread tree. 

The American Chestnut Tree was decimated by the Asian Chestnut blight in the early 1900’s.  Billions of Chestnut trees died by the 1950’s because they had no immunity to the blight fungus. Conservationists are working to restore the American Chestnut tree back to our forests and landscapes by developing Chestnut trees that are blight resistant or immune.  

The Chestnut tree represents new life giving energy and resilience.   Even when the blight has killed the tree, it has the ability to regenerate by sending out healthy new shoots from the roots.  This makes the Chestnut tree a powerful symbol of rebirth and resilience in the face of significant environmental challenges.  The wolves in this piece invoke the interconnectedness of nature.  Wolves, known as guardians of the forest, also help to disperse seeds and maintain ecological balance in the forest.  

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