The story behind the artwork

This piece started out as a horizontal landscape and somehow evolved into a portrait-like vertical piece. There is a place in South Australia on Kangaroo Island called "The Remarkables." A visit there is like walking into a Salvador Dali painting. It is a stunning cliff-side collection of granite boulders that have been carved into facinating sculptural forms by wind and erosion. This was the original inspiration for the piece entitled "drape." Here is an earlier version of the painting along with a reference photo I took while studying the Remarkables.

The painting however was becoming a struggle. I intend to readdress the Remarkables at a later date. The composition required rotating the piece 90 degrees. After some meditation, I discovered a new source of inspiration in one of my favorite creatures of the world, the nudibranch. Translation: naked lung, these little guys are often adorned with fabulous feathery gills. The one I was thinking about in particular was a blue and white variety I spotted for the first time while diving near the White Island in New Zealand. My photo does not do this little guy justice.

I was interested in maintaining the look of rock formations, and a volcanic seabed seemed the way to go. The White Island (or Whakaari Island) is New Zealand's most active volcano. It is located about 25 miles off the coast of Whakatane and lies in the Bay of Plenty. The lighting in this piece is exaggerated as when you are diving and a ray of sun suddenly appears through the clouds and illuminates your subject many feet below the water's surface. The visual experience is like a chorus of happiness rushing through your body. The wonderful fluid nature of these nudibranch creatures makes them truly a joy to observe. They flloat and fold and drape, like tiny aquatic astronauts fumbling in the surge.

drape
acrylic on canvas
40x30"

Additional Links:

My journal entry from Whakaari Island featuring a short video clip.

Excellent photos of nudibranchs by Jeffery N. Jeffords. (exits my site)