Sea salt crystals and inks on watercolor paper
94” H x 62” W (6 pieces – each 22” H x 30” W)
2016
Giant kelp can grow to 200 feet high, and have air pocket appendages, like gourds, that help support their vertical mass. They grow off the coast of California in a fertile forest environment. Their daily growth rate is quite remarkable: at times, reaching up to two feet a day. Scuba divers tell me that the waters where the forests grow is so cold that they can only swim there in July and August. (You can take mini submarine tours.)
The giant kelp forests, mangrove forests and coral reefs are three buffer systems between the immense and powerful ocean and land. As light falls in the ocean, the colors we see change. The giant kelp forests seem to have a misty, magical color and light to them. This is part of what draws me to them.
Traditionally, these ecosystems teem with ¼ of the marine life on the planet. The kelp forests and the coral reefs in particular are undergoing rapid losses with global warming. The ocean covers 70% of the planet, and has absorbed much of this warming -- this is why many notice little change on dry land. Yet undersea, many of these ecosystems are dying back with the 3-5 degree rise in ocean temperatures. Without this heat absorption by the ocean, temperatures on land would be over 120 degrees.
Sea salt crystals and inks on watercolor paper
Left middle section — 44” H x 30” W
Each sheet of paper is 22” H x 30” W
2016
Sea salt crystals and inks on watercolor paper
Approx. 1 1/2" H x 2" W
2016
Sea salt crystals and inks on watercolor paper
Approx. 1 1/2" H x 1" W
2016