We’re day 13 of our voyage and tomorrow morning we arrive to port in Suva. I’m savoring every last moment on board; watching the water fold into itself, enjoying the quick conversations in passing, taking in some of the more technical aspects of the ship. Some great friendships developed these past two weeks and I’m leaving with a deeper connection to the Schmidt Ocean Institute’s mission.
As my #artistatsea residency comes to a close I put on an informal viewing of the 14 artworks I created, including this impromptu painting. I’ve been wanting the try painting on glass, so when the upcycled plexiglass showed up it was the perfect opportunity to try out the technique of painting in reverse. I figured I would simply scratch it off after, but seems consensus is... the painting stays with Falkor. @schmidtocean -
“Abstraction of King Neptune’s Domain (with permission)”, 2019, Acrylic on Plexiglass, 28x33x.25”
One of the projects I’ve been doing on board the R/V Falkor as the #artistatsea is painting with the movement of the ship. (I wrote a bit about it in my first blog, check it out in my bio). It started with a bit of troubleshooting, as I had to be more scientific about the fluid paint consistency, location of the pour and logging in details of environmental conditions — swell, wind speed, humidity, and rain are some of the elements playing a roll. But I’m really excited to see the layers building as we are on our 8th day now. I think of it as a timestamp of our time at sea. @schmidtocean
I have the rare opportunity to be one of the few artist that have art displayed on the ocean floor via a panel on the ROV submersible named SuBastian (3rd picture). SOI specifically asked for coral species, so I consulted with a Hawaiian Coral expert for some advice on which coral to paint for this exciting project. Keoki from @marinelifephotography recommended Antler Coral, Pocillopora grandis, since it's tall, attractive, and used as a home to various fish and invertebrates all around the Hawai’i Island Chain — a true keystone species. This coral is actually found in the Indo-West Pacific to the Eastern Tropical Pacific. I was inspired to paint this work in an illustrative style as it’s easily interpreted by a wide audience (maybe even some marine species!). After much investigation into the paint to use that would stand extreme environment pressures and cold temperatures at 2500 meters below, I found the @testors_corp enamel paint. I’m very pleased with the color and brightness of the paint, depicting the beautiful diversity of life found underneath the ocean surface. Looking forward to seeing the panel installed on the ROV in late January 2020.
