The painting "Sun Block" is my vision of the "Coral Reef Death," caused by manmade waste floating in the world's oceans, blocking the sunlight from reaching the coral reefs. Without the sun, the coral dies. At this point in our history, fifty percent of the ocean's coral is dead. This living organism is vital to the ocean's and biosphere's balance and health.

 

Sailing the star dome above 

on azure blue sea, I loved,

beckons maidens tears of scorn

for fading coral life, they warn.

            --- EAB

 

I divided the picture plane into two —the top representing the sky and sun and the bottom representing the ocean and coral. The simple geometric shapes represent a manmade object. Beneath is a representation of a brain coral. I like the shape of its curve against the rectangular form above it.

 

A Cornell University study found diseases on coral reefs are impacted by plastic. Plastics carry pathogens and act as a vector for diseases to flourish on coral reefs. Floating or submerged hard debris can also damage corals by blocking sunlight from reaching them, leading to low-oxygen conditions that allow disease-causing bacteria to thrive and damage or kill the corals.

 

The name "Brain Coral" is given to the Muscidae and Merulinidae coral families due to their resemblance to the human brain. These coral species are found in shallow water reefs in most of the world's oceans. These corals are living animals, "Anthozoa" or "flower animals," and are a vital part of reef-building as a habitat for sea life. The life span of Brain Coral can be nine hundred years if not destroyed by humans.

 

I completed this painting for 2023 for a solo exhibition, "Searching for Ballance," at the Martin-Mullen Gallery, SUNY Oneonta, NY. 

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