3H2O

In July 2017 Jim’s work titled ³H₂O was selected by the juror Francis Thompson to receive First Place Award in the national Juried Exhibit, “Celebrate Color & Light,” at the Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts.

The chemical symbol used for this work 3H2O is also known as tritiated water - a radioactive form of water. 3H2O was designed to draw attention to our stewardship of water.  The random tessellation of pyramids across the CNC router-cut circle subtly reveal the ionizing radiation-warning symbol. I felt compelled to create the work in the context of reckless stewardship of a precious commodity - clean water.  The inevitable release of tritium that occurs in the refueling of a nuclear reactor, the Hanford site, the accident at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico, and the ongoing crises in Fukushima (three nuclear core meltdowns) are of particular concern.