Green Turtle

This painting was inspired by two events. First a wonderful photograph taken by friends of mine on a dive they did in Flynn Reef, part of the Great Barrier Reed in Australia. The second was a powerful documentary I watched called Seaspiracy, which completely threw open the door on the devastating impact that industrial fishing is having on our oceans and the wildlife within them, turtles being one of the many species affected.

Recent stats show that 500,000 sea turtles are caught each year as bycatch (unintended catch).

This fella here is a Green Turtle and on the endangered species list. Along with the dangers of fishing nets, their eggs are overharvested, adults are hunted for their parts and as a source of food, and they are gradually losing their beach nesting sites.

Painting this turtle gave me 9 hours to truly study this extraordinary animal who was anything but just green. The complex mix of colours I discovered were out of this world. And I have just learned that green turtles get their name from the greenish colour of their cartilage and fat, not their shells!