Artist Kate Powell on women, climate change and protecting our planet

"I'd say my work aims to celebrate nature and highlight its beauty, vulnerability and our need to protect it. I also like to portray nature and people existing together in a balance, each enhancing the other's beauty, to show we can work with nature in a world where so many people are willing to destroy it. I wish to promote a message of peace and love aimed towards all living things, human and non-human, plants and animals."

"I've had a passion for the natural world my entire life, but I've only really been environmentally aware (and acting on that awareness) in the past few years. Of course I'd heard of global warming/climate change from childhood but it always seemed like a very distant, abstract and alien problem which I naively thought was none of my business."

"Things like sustainability and protecting the environment were brought up every now and then in my high school education but it was never explored in depth or in a way that really made you concerned and passionate to feel motivated to fight."

Kate became more interested in environmental action through discussions in the media about politicians debating climate change.

"I did my research, grew more and more concerned and tried to think of ways to improve my lifestyle to help do something about those concerns. I started making little changes such as using fewer plastic bags/bottles, being conscious of the water/electricity I was using."

Kate also follows a plant-based diet, meaning that she does not consume animal products at all: "I believe it's one of the absolute greatest things you can do to help the planet"

She's also strongly committed to the fight for equality of gender and sexuality: "I think the world is naturally progressing towards gender neutral 'things' because of awareness of transgender people and discussions of what it means to be a 'boy' or 'girl'. I think stereotypical gender roles will start to seem more and more ridiculous as well as old-fashioned and will therefore disintegrate, hopefully some forms of sexism will disappear with it. In terms of change, I think what needs to happen is a reform in school education, with lessons on consent, how to fight gender inequality and more thorough sex education in general."

We're inspired by her commitment to climate action (and totally in love with her artwork, which you can view more of here). Thanks, Kate!

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