2012 World Ocean Day Image for U.S. State Dept.

To PURCHASE a poster please scroll to bottom of the page

“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in it net of wonder forever.”
Jacque-Yves Cousteau

I have been a scuba diver for over twenty five years and have witnessed a lot of coral bleaching from the effects of carbon monoxide, most recently on a trip I took to the Carribean. I  believe that collectively we need to build an awareness-as they wrote on the backside of the poster “The interconnected ocean is Earth’s enduring frontier. Full of mystery, the ocean harbors Earth’s most diverse life forms.” Being able to contribute to the mission of the World Ocean Day  was very rewarding.

 

 

I have tons of journals that I have paint in while I am on a diving trip. Usually, I bring a small set of watercolors and paint and draw immediately after surfacing while on the boat. Interpreting the form, color, plant life and species immediately, I am able to internalize and preserve the images for future projects like this one.

Here are a few images from the studio while I gathered my materials, which always opens doors to new discoveries, some of which included in the image are the giant red tubeworms thriving on chemicals spewing from the ocean floor, crabs with “fur”, recognizing that 25% of all marine species depend on our coral reefs. The challenge for me was how to fit them all 26 of the animals featured into a unified space so I utilized a giant wave again (a theme explored in my Earth Day image from 2007) but this time, the palette was much brighter. I have been exploring the clay work with a more fluid approach to the painting combined with the detail of the inks being scratched away. I tried a few new techiques with this piece including an elaborate underpainting with added relief from the clay.

DETAIL

The posters are not available in the United States (only the Embassies across the world because of a longstanding law against advertising the United States.)

I was given 100 posters and will be offering these signed  posters for $40.00. plus $15. for shipping and handling or email me at cb@cathiebleck.com.

A portion of my proceeds will go to The Coral Reef Alliance

Please allow 2 weeks for delivery

 

 

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