Santa Pharmacopeia

24kt gold/22kt gold water gilt oil on wood 24"X18"
2008

I wanted to do this piece after reading Jeremy Narby's book, "The Cosmic Serpent." In it he observes that three quarters of all plant-based pharmacopeia was discovered and first used by native communities, and very few of them are ever compensated for their knowledge and assistance. He also points out that fifty percent of all plant biodiversity on the planet comes from the Amazon basin.