In association with PangeaSeed’s Dakuwaqa Project, Symbiosis Hypnosis is the first print release from the Umijoo project. I have a very limited number of these for sale here.
They are 20”x30” full bleed with hand torn edges, signed and numbered!
My Artist Statement
Our reefs are in trouble, pollution, climate change, habitat destruction, over fishing and even the aquarium industry are wreaking havoc on our beautiful reefs. I painted this colorful reef painting to transport the viewer under the waves and straight to the brilliant colorful magic of a healthy reef.
This painting is also a page in our children’s book about ocean conservation called Umijoo. Umijoo is full of my painted scenes of our magical marine world and will hopefully inspire young people to care about our big blue and the animals that reside down there. I found out recently that climate change would be much worse for us here on land if the oceans weren’t actively soaking up massive amounts of our carbon pollution.
Sadly, in return for the favor, the acidity levels of our oceans have risen and our oceans are now showing signs of the beginning of what could be a catastrophic domino effect. The higher acidy can ultimately eat away the shells of mollusks and that sort of problem is quite simply a major component in what could be the collapse of earth’s entire ecosystem. And it’s not just ocean acidification that is causing major stress to marine populations, there are also the rising temperatures that our marine friends have to contend with. Everything is connected and symbiosis is everywhere we look.
On the brighter side of things, I learned about the most wonderful symbiosis while doing this painting! I had no idea that sea turtles have their own personal groomers, the yellow tangs keep them tidy and have their dinner too. I also learned that not only do the orange clown fish live with the sea anemones for mutual benefit but that they live with a specific sea anemone, they know each other personally, the animals have an intimate relationship with one another, after basically dating for a while they decide if it’s a good fit! We, as humans, care about things we love, my hope is that this painting will help us all love our reefs just a little bit more.