My work parallels our ideas of rarity between the evolution of species, the creation of art, and the advancement of technology. Within the context of an ongoing Holocene mass extinction, I examine the meaning of these values through a “symbology” informed by natural history, digital media, and field experience in nature. As a boy in rural Ohio I observed species that have since become scarce. Now I want to understand how the precipitous decline of biodiversity will affect humanity in the future, and what role painting can play in the discourse.