It took an amazing amount of photos to study and source from to create the image in my mind., But here he is. I was motivated largely by the BP Oil ‘Spill’ to paint this. I love sea turtles and the beautiful sparkling Emerald Coast of Florida where I grew up.

I have seen so many creatures over the years living along and in the coastal waters. It is an amazing and diverse ecosystem that filled my childhood with so much mystery and awe. Perhaps I can round out this painting into a collection of other Gulf of Mexico animals- we’ll see.

I chose this sea turtle because it is the most endangered and the smallest sea turtle in the world. It’s only home is the Gulf of Mexico and along the United States Atlantic east coast. The only place it nests is in the western side of the Gulf of Mexico. I can only hope that enough Kemp’s Ridley’s make it to shore to nest so that the species survives this horrific man made disaster. From there I have no idea where they are going release the eggs that are successfully collected and incubated.