It Began with Jellyfish

I had been living on St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands for a couple of years when I decided that my work as an artist would be dedicated to honoring the sea.  Looking over the turquoise waters I feel great joy at its vastness and its mystery, and I am awed at its beauty and its fragility.  The sea provides for me fathomless inspiration that will last me a lifetime to explore.

My first chosen medium as an artist was fabric because I could layer it and add embellishments of threads, yarns and beads to create texture and dimensionality.  I was happy creating art quilts featuring colorful fish and turtles, and I even created a big coral piece.  This one is called “Poseidon’s Garden.”

Poseidon's Garden

One day I set out to capture the translucence of jellyfish on cloth.  This is when organza came into my creative life.  I layered organza as a quilt top and was happy with the results in “Jellyfish.”  Here is a detail of it:

Jellyfish - Detail

I enjoyed the shimmery, watery effect of organza and tulle,  and explored it further with “Seahorse Under the Moon.”

Seahorse Under the Moon

Years passed and my explorations took me into the land of mixed media to dwell deeper into texture.  Here is “Sea Urchin” which was created on a wood panel, with sand from the beach, and lots of beads and acrylic paints.  

Sea Urchin

Paints had now entered my arsenal of tools, and I loved the possibilities they offered.  I revisited some of my earlier pieces , like “Turtle Magic.” This art quilt came to life when I added acrylic paint to it.

Turtle Magic-Detail

In time, I found myself again ruminating on the idea of translucency.  Jellyfish returned as a subject, but this time I wanted to see the jellyfish floating on water so transparent that you could see through to the other side.   I did away with the quilted backing altogether and kept only the organza.  This is how “Moon Jellyfish” was born, by using acrylic paints and other embellishments on layers of organza. 

Moon Jellyfish - Detail

Then the question arose: How to use this new medium to capture that magical feeling when the sun shines through the water onto the corals and everything shimmers?  “Song of the Reef” attempted to answer this question.

Song of the Reef also led me to a new idea:  Imagine an entire coral reef painted on large, multi-layered panels of organza.  And imagine those panels swaying in the breeze as people walk among them.  Imagine taking this virtual reef to people in places far from the sea, to people who may have never seen a coral reef, and may never see one.

Imagine that these people feel something walking among those painted reefs.  What if they feel a little wonderment, perhaps?  The desire to see the real thing some day?  The desire for their children to experience the magic of the sea?  The realization that magical places such as coral reefs may not exist by the time their children are adults?  The need to do something about this?

Song of the Reef has brought me full circle, to my desire to use my art to honor the sea.   This desire is now an intent: to transform one art piece into a traveling installation. 

This blog will be my journal as I create these painted reefs on organza and as I seek helpful people and organizations that can sponsor this project as a traveling exhibit.  My ultimate goal is to raise awareness towards coral reef conservation because the reefs are in trouble and they need our help today.

I am inviting you to join me on this journey.  Let’s create a union of hearts that love the sea, because every bit of love counts towards creating a magnetism strong enough to change the world.   Your useful advice, your helpful contacts, the door that you may open, your kindness and your good wishes are all welcome.