ART INSIGHTS Creating Wealth as a Successful Artist - John Dahlsen

tackle environmental issues and representmy commitment to contemporary socialand environmental concerns in my work.This approach has grown naturally for methrough my work with found object visuallanguage.NAVA: What came first – the decision tolive in a seaside area or the decision tofocus on environmental art?JD: I live in a seaside town called Byron Bayand the decision to live here came beforethe decision to focus on environmentalart. As a result of living here, my creativemedium shifted. The landscapes in mylatest paintings are the same places whereI have roamed and collected detritus andmaterials for my assemblages and otherworks. In the past I used recycled materialsto convey the history and memory of a placeand to comment on the human experienceof place, beauty and environmentaldegradation. I have executed my newpaintings with a certain sense of urgency,because I have become increasingly145