In the Studio

12 April 2022
Recently I have learnt about fish. I knew that fish felt pain and experienced it, although I never had the science to back it. But now there is the science and it is more shocking in that fish suffer enormously in their experience of pain. They are also killed more than any other animal that humans consume. For every human on the planet 450 fishes are killed each year.
As well as fish, I also learnt about another water creature. The Northern Right Whale. Compared to the southern right whales found in waters around Australia, the northern right whale is being slowly but surely killed through fishing netting, lobster pot and ship strikes.
What can we do? The demand for lobster and fish is directly linked to these animals slow deaths. Don't eat seafood or fish. Or if you must then look into where your food comes from and how it is caught. Fish feel pain and suffer terribly. So do whales.
How has this influenced my art? I did a piece for the Queensland Wildlife Artist Society newsletter of right whales caught in fishing netting. This piece was done in water colour and mixed media, then I finished it in Procreate, manipulating the 'ropes' to give the experience of them wrapping around the whales, as happens in real life.
I also did a watercolour piece of pink Angel fish - I didn't even know that fish could be this pink! Beautiful.
Also recently I found out that the book 'Say No To Plastic' that I illustrated last year, will be launched in June. So watch this space!