Red River is a four panel work with different subjects related to the gradual but irreversible changes to nature from human activity, even in areas of the world that might feel like they are immune. The subject is the town of Pontiac, where Howells grew up, and how small towns can feel insulated from influence of the outside world but can be hidden by subtle changes in nature. Panels reference specific natural changes, from the slow decline of the once prominent monarch butterflies, the ash borer beetle that killed the trees that once lined the streets of the town and the loss of birds like the meadowlark as development and farming reduce its habitat. The work was inspired by Howells’ mother’s love of birds and Red River is a reference to the Vermillion River that courses through the works.