No Time to Waste.
Eco-Art Competition 2021.

My artwork shows a scene depicting plastic pollution in the ocean. The atmosphere of the scene is pressing and urgent, because the seal is being surrounded, being hunted, hence showing the No Time to Waste theme. There is a narrative here, an action taking place, and if you catch on to it you can feel the time slipping away. This issue is important to me because I love animals, and the dignity of the ocean. I want to protect both, and plastic pollution would be a place to start because of its horrible effects. I especially hate single use plastics(straws, plastic bags, water bottles. . .) being mass produced and then thrown away for animals to choke on. I used symbolism to communicate my message. Going clockwise, the plastic takes the shape of predators of seals, including an Orca, Polar Bear, Human, and Shark. The prey are Arctic Cod, Shrimp, Capelin, and Herring. This represents how plastic is the predator and prey, because plastic kills(manually), and it also kills by being the prey(being eaten). Plastic affects all marine life, making it the apex predator. I used watercolor for my painting to be reminiscent of water, and I also made the texture rough/dirty looking, because plastic isn't pretty, especially when it’s in the ocean. My painting is very busy, but because of this, it stands out. My hopes are that viewers will feel the intensity of the situation. A single seal is my main subject, and though pollution involves all animals, focusing on one makes it personal, and I want this to be personal. It's about this seal who is in danger, who is being circled by it's hunters. The situation isn't hopeless, though, because they could save that seal, and I want them to know.