Earthquake painting in the studio · 0:52 A close-up view of the 7 × 7 foot oil painting and its surface. NFC chips beneath the paint connect the depicted scenes to their news stories.

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06 / Interactive painting · 2023

Interactive Earthquake Art

Earthquake artwork by Erin McGee Ferrell — watch the NBC / NEWS CENTER Maine featureFeatured video · NBC / NEWS CENTER MaineInteractive Earthquake ArtWatch on YouTube ↗
NEWS CENTER Maine / NBC · Feature interview with Erin McGee Ferrell · February 15, 2023

I made these paintings after the February 6, 2023 earthquakes in Türkiye (Turkey) and Syria. I embedded NFC chips beneath the oil paint to link each scene to its news story.

In The Artist and A.I. (2023), I compared painting and AI images made in response to the same news stories.

Completed artworks

Erin McGee Ferrell’s earthquake artwork on Arches watercolor paper: blue geometric strips, brown washes, and white lines across a tall composition.
Mixed media on Arches watercolor paperCovered with wax, with embedded NFTs4 × 7 feet
Erin McGee Ferrell’s large earthquake oil painting on canvas, with brown and white areas, architectural markings, and small outlined figures, photographed on the studio wall.
Oil on canvasWith NFC chips embedded beneath the paint7 × 7 feet

Oil on canvas: details & embedded NFCs

Detail of the oil painting: an outlined rescue dog in a brown opening within thick white paint.
Rescue dog · Detail
Detail of the oil painting: a small infant and reaching figures traced in dark lines across brown and white paint.
Newborn rescue · Detail
Detail of the oil painting: a figure reaching to hold another person’s hand amid brown and white painted forms.
Father and daughter · Detail
Detail of the oil painting: a group of outlined figures and reaching arms within layered brown and white paint.
Family rescue · Detail

Arches watercolor paper: details

Detail 1 of Erin McGee Ferrell’s mixed-media earthquake artwork on Arches watercolor paper, showing blue forms, brown washes, and white marks.
Mixed media on Arches paper · Detail 1
Detail 2 of Erin McGee Ferrell’s mixed-media earthquake artwork on Arches watercolor paper, showing blue forms, brown washes, and white marks.
Mixed media on Arches paper · Detail 2
Detail 3 of Erin McGee Ferrell’s mixed-media earthquake artwork on Arches watercolor paper, showing blue forms, brown washes, and white marks.
Mixed media on Arches paper · Detail 3
Detail 4 of Erin McGee Ferrell’s mixed-media earthquake artwork on Arches watercolor paper, showing blue forms, brown washes, and white marks.
Mixed media on Arches paper · Detail 4
Detail 5 of Erin McGee Ferrell’s mixed-media earthquake artwork on Arches watercolor paper, showing blue forms, brown washes, and white marks.
Mixed media on Arches paper · Detail 5
Detail 6 of Erin McGee Ferrell’s mixed-media earthquake artwork on Arches watercolor paper, showing blue forms, brown washes, and white marks.
Mixed media on Arches paper · Detail 6

Earthquake context & coverage

USGS: the February 2023 Türkiye–Syria earthquakes · Associated Press: rescue efforts in Turkey and Syria

Studio video