More on the Plastic ocean

This is the next phase of the painting.  I am starting to add more detail here.  Worked a little on the Sargassum and added some detail to the sand.  Including bits of plastic and debris.  This is of course,the whole point of the painting.  Many beaches now are made up of plastic bits of all shapes and color.  Not a pretty sight.
At any rate, if this seems a little lacking,it is because it is.  I still have a long way to go on this project. This is the point at which I must silence my inner critic,and carry on with what I know I need to do!  And by silence,I mean blindfold, gag and bind her and put her in the corner.  Honestly, do all artists go through this?
In the mean time, I have created more designs for my Zazzle shop.  Here is just one of them:

http://www.zazzle.com/grey_angelfish_blue_ocean_laptop_commuter_bag-256629981592440974

Last year, I entered the Art Prize contest in a nearby community.  I am beginning to plan for this year's entry.  I am thinking of doing something along the lines of this painting, perhaps in 3d or sculpture form.  If I do this, I will most likely blog about it!

Art in progress

So,I just decided to (finally)begin a project that I have been thinking about for awhile.  After last month's vacation,with all the trash I found in the Ocean,I have decided to attack this issue(with my paint brush,this time).
Most of my painting work is done in my head.  Yes,it's true, at least 60% of art work is the time that I spend planning the painting.  Most of my paintings are involved with trying to project the magical feeling of floating with the beautiful creatures of the Ocean.  It is true that there are not very many other places on Earth that you can get so close to truly wild animals!  So, that is what I have always preferred to portray in my work.
This time I think that I will proceed as if the painting is more of a still life.  I preface this by saying that I have never liked still life,since I was an art student!  For one thing,"still life" is such an oxymoron!  Life is not still,life is constant motion. 
Never the less,this is how I have decided to approach this painting.  The working title is "Plastic Ocean",not really original,just a popular saying with some of the environmental groups that I follow.
So I start this painting with a photo of a collage that I made of various types of trash. I don't think I will use all of it in the final work,just needed a jumping off point.
This is the beginning of the project(though,I have been conceptualizing the beginning for some time).
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/XmqVqNKOCnPgOcWlthSShX8F6n9l3Pq47hCXdJ8Rpn0?feat=directlinkhttps://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/XmqVqNKOCnPgOcWlthSShX8F6n9l3Pq47hCXdJ8Rpn0?feat=directlink

About Art

People keep telling me that I should be writing about my art.  Hmmm,since a picture is worth a thousand words,that could be difficult. Still, I should at least try.  Since my work is directly influenced by my diving, I will start by discussing a little of that,first.  My recent diving experiences have shown me that the Oceans are in a state of decline.  I have seen it first hand.
My paintings have always been about the beauty and the joy that I feel when I am able to visit the Ocean.  Now, I feel, I must come back to reality,a least for a painting or two.
Recently, my husband and I visited our favorite beach in Florida.  We have been vacationing at this beach for at least seven years.  This year we arrived early,on Labor Day weekend.
The beach was packed on that day,more people than we have ever seen at this beach.  As we walked along the beach, we noticed a large amount of trash.  All kinds of trash,but most notably,plastics. Unfortunately, this trend is not new. We began gathering bits as we walked.  Plastic grocery bags,fishing line,plastic sandwich bags,bits of plastic children's toys,plastic water bottles,plastic coffee can lids,plastic sun glass frames,single serve plastic coffee machine cups,and one half empty can of WD-40 oil,just some of the items that we retrieved. In just a short,1/2 mile walk,we both had our hands completely full.
This area of Florida( the east coast) has a three tiered reef system.  It is close enough to swim to from shore.  My husband and I try to include a visit to our favorite "house reef" each time we visit.
You know how you have that one Aunt(could be Uncle or Cousin,for that matter),who you only see once a year?  If they loose twenty pounds,people who see them every day might not notice.  Because you only see them that one time a year, you can really notice how much they have lost.  This reef has been that favorite "Aunt" for us.  Every year that we go back to visit, we notice a little bit more of the reef that has simply disappeared.  
I don't pretend to know the cause,let alone the solution.  If I lived there full time, I might be able to help with the problem.
So for now,I can only write about it,and create art about it.  My sincerest hope is that I can in small way be "a part of the solution",more than I am "a part of the problem"
Meantime, here is the video that we created while we were visiting Florida,this year!

Earth Day

When I woke up yesterday morning,I didn't really plan on doing anything for Earth Day. Not that I don't think it is a great idea, I do. We should all try a little harder to do good things to help the Earth. Other than planting seeds in the garden with my children when they were small, I can't say that I have every really thought about doing anything. As there had been patchy frost over night, I knew that I would not be doing any seed planting.
So, I went about my day,starting with my usual trip to the Mega Grocery store near my home. As I rounded the corner of the aisle across from the sea food case, I noticed 4 men in suits, with clip boards. They, along with the store manager were inspecting the cases and taking notes. Ahh,the Big Wigs,from headquarters. Suddenly, a light bulb went off in my head! I remembered that I had put a copy of the safe seafood list from the Monterrey Bay Aquarium in my purse. I walked up to the nearest man and said "I see from your signs around the store,that you are interested in being more organic and green,yes?" He was polite ,and replied that he was very interested in any suggestions to help the store in this area. I put the list in his hand,and, he did look a little puzzled,at first. I explained that the columns on the page represented fish to choose,and fish to avoid. He said,"That's great, but I am not sure what to do with it?" I suggested that he take the list and give it to the fish buyers back at HQ. That way, they can make better informed choices.too He asked to keep the list,so maybe that is a sign that he will actually do something about it.
I do know that it made me feel like I had actually done something for Earth Day! It seems like a pretty simple thing to make more informed choices. Especially with the internet. Information is only a click away. And let's face it, as divers, we have a front row seat to all the beauty in the oceans. Making informed decisions is one thing that we can all do,everyday!
http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/download.aspx

One of my pet peeves

This has been a pet peeve of mine for quite some time. Plastic bags. Yes, plastic grocery bags. How many divers have seen them on a dive? Caught up in a reef, half buried in the sand, or floating free, like a jelly fish? Maybe the correct question is, how many haven't seen them?
Here, in the north, when the snow thaws, they are everywhere. Blowing across fields, caught up in trees, in ditches, flowing in streams on their way to lakes, then oceans. They are the single most visible form of litter everywhere.
This isn't a plea for all of us to start bringing re-usable bags with us to the store(although, that is a great idea). From what I see, many people are starting to do that on a regular basis. What I am wondering is if we could get the stores to stop carrying them completely. No more plastic grocery bags, ever!
I am just thinking out loud here, but can a bag be manufactured out of something bio-degradable? Some of the carry-out containers are now being made from bio-degradable products.
Maybe, it isn't as serious of a problem as I think. I just envision future archeologists digging up whole layers of earth that contain nothing but plastic bags. I wonder what they will think of us?