james strickland heliocentric      For the past 35 years I have, with my art, attempted to fill  the world with beauty. At the same time I feel that art should be  more than just a pretty object or simple vanity statement.  Using  lessons learned from the study of our planet’s energy cycles I  believe I can make my art into something more meaningful and  productive. I strongly believe that it is also an artist’s  responsibility to imagine and realize new paradigms of design  and construction.       Large erected artifacts that can visually create interest, inspire delight, and at  the same moment heat a building, or provide electrical power to, in some way,  lessen the ecological impact of their footprint, are easily within our grasp. New  technologies and research have recently added to our palette of exciting tools. From  simple evacuated tubes for solar collection, weather resistant materials and  finishes, to elaborate computer modeling of solar voltaics, today’s artists have at  their command many tools that even Leonardo could not have guessed at.           We gaze into a new millennium. Our generation’s standard bearers now  embrace earth friendly technologies. The lessons of the forest, the vast biodiversity  of our planet and the steady clockwork of the solar cycles can enrich our lives, build  our cities anew and reconnect us to the stars from which we sprang.     James Strickland    Maine, 2007