The ‘Deep Sea Painting’ Workshop was an interactive event where participants explored the wonders of marine life through art. This workshop combined artistic creativity with environmental awareness.
The ‘Deep Sea Painting’ Workshop was an interactive event where participants explored the wonders of marine life through art. This workshop combined artistic creativity with environmental awareness.
Here is a recap of our workshop:
Announcements
New Artwork: The online gallery now features new pieces by Michelle Wright and Maryam Sadi
Artwork Sale: Selected artworks are available at up to 50% off, a rare opportunity to collect accessible art from international artists.
Artist Fundraiser: Dunc, one of our upcoming featured artists – GoFundMe campaign -> Give Today
Plastic-Free July
Nadin Said, our Managing Director, discussed the significance of Plastic-Free July in our recent workshop. Plastic-Free July is a global movement that encourages individuals, communities, and businesses to reduce plastic consumption and waste. This month-long campaign, initiated by the Plastic Free Foundation in 2011, aims to work towards a vision of seeing a world free of plastic waste and raise awareness about the environmental impact of plastic pollution. One million marine animals are killed by plastic pollution each year (SSM Group, 2024). Plastic production is set to almost quadruple by 2050 (Plastic Free July, 2020).
Plastic does not biodegrade, it breaks into smaller pieces known as microplastics, which persist in the environment for centuries. Plastic can release toxic chemicals, affecting the health of marine species and potentially entering the human food chain. Plastic Free July is more than a month-long challenge; it’s a movement meant to spark real change. By participating, individuals and communities can contribute to a healthier planet, reduce their environmental footprint, and promote sustainable living by being part of the solution.
Visit the Plastic Free July website for more information, and resources to take the challenge. Even simple steps can make a difference, the reuse of plastic bottles and avoiding straws are small ways to participate in making a big change.
Creating Art Together
Rawan guided participants through various techniques to create a coral reef template.
Techniques and Tools:
Rawan demonstrated various techniques using Copic markers, including blending, layering, and detailing. Participants followed along with their preferred materials, including crayons and colored pencils. Those participating were encouraged to share their artwork, showcasing their unique interpretations of coral reefs.
Fun Facts about Coral Reefs:
Coral reefs are ancient habitats, having been around for 500 million years (Coral Reefs – Coral Restoration Foundation). They are the oldest ecosystem existing on earth and are often referred to as “Rainforest of the sea” (Coral Reefs – Coral Restoration Foundation). Coral reefs are a source of new medicines being developed to treat cancer, arthritis, bacterial infections, and viruses (Coral Reef Alliance, 2020). Each coral reef has a unique combination of species, shapes, and structures, much like a fingerprint, and they are nocturnal feeders, with their polyp extension being greatest during the night (TFH Magazine, n.d.)
Iconic Artist Spotlight, Katsushika Hokusai
Nadin introduced Katsushika Hokusai, a renowned Japanese artist known for “The Great Wave.-sharing details about Hokusai’s life, including his numerous name changes and relocations.
Hokusai is estimated to have produced over 30,000 works during his lifetime, including paintings, sketches, woodblock prints, and illustrated books. He also changed his name more than 30 times throughout his life (The Met, 2024). Each name change often marked a new phase in his artistic career. I, myself use “pen names” and find the name change aligning with his artistic phase to be of much interest to me. While researching some of his names for this write-up, I found he referred to himself as Gakyojin, which translates to “drawing madman,” reflecting his intense passion and dedication to his art. Another name he used was Shunrō, a name he adopted early in his career while studying under the ukiyo-e master Katsukawa Shunshō. These names highlight the aspects of his artistic journey and showcase the influences at the time, a great way to mark and symbolize the path he was on at that moment. Hokusai was said to be superstitious, every morning he drew a picture of a lion and threw it away to ward off evil (Adventure, 2018).
Although Hokusai began painting at a young age, he created his most famous work, “The Great Wave off Kanagawa,” when he was in his seventies. This art piece is part of the series “Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji” (The Met, 2024; The Met, 2024).”
Long before Japanese comics became known as “Manga,” Hokusai created a series of sketchbooks called “Hokusai Manga”-these books contained thousands of drawings depicting everyday life and supernatural beings as well as landscapes and animals (The Met, 2024).
Hokusai’s art, especially “The Great Wave,” symbolizes Japan’s cultural expansion and resilience.
Contemporary Artist Spotlight:
Rawan discussed Robert Wyland, a marine life artist and philanthropist. Wyland’s “Whaling Walls” project, featuring 100 marine life murals worldwide, aims to raise awareness about marine conservation. His name has become synonymous with whales and his efforts to save these creatures from extinction. His largest mural on the Long Beach Convention Center holds a Guinness World Record.
The Wyland Whaling Walls are part of a 30-year mission by artist Wyland to call attention to the beauty of marine life.
Personal Reflections:
Participants shared their connections to the ocean and how it inspires their art. Dunc talked about the chaos and energy he sees in the interaction between waves and rocks, capturing this dynamic in his abstract art. Nadin emphasized the calming and freeing experience of being by the ocean.
Maybe it’s because of my lifelong romance with the ocean, with its sparkling, glittering waves that hold my gaze in a trance in its never-ending magnificence that I moved across the country just to be closer to it, away from the bright lights and big city of New York. After all, trading half of my life in New York for the tranquil, wondrous effects of the sea seemed more than fair. The ocean, one of Earth’s most stunning landscapes, holds many fascinating secrets. For instance, many deep-sea creatures are bioluminescent, producing their own light to survive in the dark depths. Some species, such as the “giant squid”- grow much larger in the deep sea compared to their shallow-water pals. This phenomenon is known as deep-sea gigantism. The ocean contains underwater waterfalls, such as the Denmark Strait cataract, which is the largest underwater waterfall in the world. The ocean is also home to some of the most bizarre and alien-like creatures, such as the gulper eel and the vampire squid, which has bioluminescent organs and a cloak-like webbing-sounds like something straight out of a new sci-fi series!
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Thank you for joining us and making this workshop a memorable and impactful experience!
"The deep sea is the largest museum on earth, it contains more history than all the museums on land combined, and yet we're only now penetrating it."
References
- SSM Group. (2024). Embracing Plastic-Free July and Protecting Our Environment. https://www.ssmgroup.com/blog/2024/7/1/embracing-plastic-free-july-and-protecting-our-environment.
- Plastic Free July. (2020). Impact Report 2020. https://www.plasticfreejuly.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/PFF-Impact-Report-2020-screen.pdf.
- Coral Restoration Foundation. Coral Reefs. Retrieved from https://coralrestoration.org.
- NOAA Fisheries. (2023). Medicines from the Sea: Coral Reefs Provide Important Pharmaceuticals. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/insight/corals-and-medicine
- TFH Magazine. (2020). Feeding Corals in the Reef Tank. https://www.tfhmagazine.com/articles/saltwater/feeding-corals-in-the-reef-tank#google_vignette
- The Met. (2024). Katsushika Hokusai https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/53920
- The Met. (2024). Hokusai Manga. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/57911
- The Met. (2024). Katsushika Hokusai | Under the Wave off Kanagawa (Kanagawa oki nami ura), or The Great Wave, from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei) | Japan | Edo period (1615–1868). The Met.
- The Met. (2024). The Great Wave: Anatomy of an Icon https://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-met/conservation-and-scientific-research/conservation-stories/2020/hokusai-great-wave
- Adventure (2018) https://adventure.com/katsushika-hokusai-japan-art-trail/