Abstract nominee

The "Pollution in Abstract" photographic series depicts a ubiquitous form of pollution that can be seen on rainy days throughout the world where motor vehicles travel. I estimate the amount of oil, gasoline, and other pollutants dripped from the 250 million vehicles in the U.S. is more than the oil spilled during the 2010 Gulf Oil Spill…every year! Since 1990 I have pursued a grassroots effort to make abstract and avant-garde photographs of stormwater pollution to attract and then educate viewers to this global environmental problem. These photographs represent “miniature” oil spills that everyone has seen, but may not have given a second thought. However, when it rains these pollutants wash off into the lakes, rivers, and oceans where we swim and fish. My father, mother, and sister died of cancers that may be attributed to environmental factors and this has motivated my efforts. The human body is about 65 percent water by weight and the water within us comes from the water around us; therefore, it is everyone’s responsibility to take steps to reduce their contribution to this pollution and, in turn, protect the health of human populations, plant and animal species, and the ecosystems in which we exist.

Kevin Coulton is an amateur photographer with a passion for the protection of our environment. He has combined his avocation of photography with his vocation as a hydrologist to produce an abstract avant-garde photographic series of water pollution called “Pollution in Abstract” that he uses for public environmental awareness and education. Since 1990, he has had over 40 public and gallery exhibitions of his “Pollution in Abstract” photography series, has given public presentations, and has had his photography published in newspapers, magazines, and books. He has also written about his work with editorials published in newspapers and an essay published in a photography magazine. He has appeared on television during the local evening news in Portland, Oregon and has won awards from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Renew America.