Great Rivers Greenway Project

Greenway Project

In October and November of 2025, I painted along Great Rivers Greenway trails across the greater St Louis area. I completed 20 oil paintings, working on location, from observation. This series arises out of my conceptual interest in the intersection of arts and science, building on ideas of conservation psychology–the study of promoting activism. Recording nature in paint is a form of documentation embedded with emotional connection and the potential to function as a catalyst for motivating action. I see my role as an artist to help bridge the gap between societal issues and individual response, to inspire community connection and encourage active participation. 

Working with Great Rivers Greenway conservationists, I selected locations to best represent the region's diversity of landscape features and ecosystems, and community and historical significance. Within the region, there are rivers, streams and lakes, prairies, forests, and wetlands, bluffs and caves, and urban architecture and landmarks.

Great Rivers Greenway is a regional public agency created by a vote of the people to deliver on the community’s vision for a vibrant region connected with greenway trails. Greenways are outdoor spaces connecting people & places; there are currently over 140 miles of trails completed, with over 600 miles of trails planned. Each greenway is unique, reflecting the character of the communities it connects. The greenways built by Great Rivers Greenway around the confluences of the great Mississippi, Missouri, and Meramec Rivers and the many waterways that flow into them are located in present-day St. Louis City, St. Louis County, and St. Charles County.

The Great Rivers Greenway Foundation is committed to enhancing and enriching the mission of Great Rivers Greenway and the vision of making the St. Louis region a more vibrant place to live, work and play by developing a network of greenways. Within our mission to build greenways, we implement conservation projects along the way with partners, vendors and volunteers to: create or improve natural habitats along greenways such as prairies, wetlands and forests, where plants, animals and pollinators thrive and storm and flood waters can be better managed; build connections for people to stay healthy and make active transportation choices that reduce car pollution; and invite people to fall in love with and take care of nature through building greenways, ongoing education and volunteering.