Heritage Hill Public Art project and more

My work, 'Her home is in the ocean', was one of the four artworks chosen to be represented outside the historic Dandenong property, Heritage Hill.  The original will not be displayed but instead, images of sections of the work.  A prominent part is the title in Japanese script at the bottom of the right hand side of the canvas. 

I've had some dialogue with Animals Australia and I'll be using some of their campaigns as a feature in both my illustrations and the final paintings and artwork.  Thanks to Sarah Evans at Animals Australia for her help.

I'm also going to be featuring the Australian horse racing industry in my work.  This will help raise awareness about what happens in this industry.  Some of the realities of this industry are quite eye-opening and dare I say, brutal.  I can't believe that I used to think nothing of participating in sweepstakes for 'the race that stops a nation'.  Jump racing is even worse.  As a rider and lover of horses, I find it heart breaking to see such magnificent animals as mere commodities.

On the practical front, I'm experimenting with other mediums which are producing enjoyable results, particularly collage and ink.  I'll post some images at a later date.

Official Save Japan Dolphins Australia Logo

I should have posted this some time ago.  It's a sticker for the Australian chapter of Save Japan Dolphins Australia.  I designed the logo and it is based on the official SJD logo.

Why 'her home is in the ocean"

This is a 1 metre square painting in oils.  The Japanese script is the title of the painting, "her home is in the ocean"

There is a promotional video by the Earth Island Institute which features some celebrities raising awareness about the Japanese dolphin drive and slaughter that takes place every year between September and March.  The catch phrase of this video was "his home is in the ocean".

While hunting cetaceans is defined as a 'cultural' activity by some Japanese, the present day reasons for this brutal slaughter of bottlenose, Rissos and common dolphins and on occasion false killer whales, is the harvesting of young live dolphins for sale to the captivity industry.

The dolphins that are chosen for sale to the captivity industry are predominantly female.  Hence the name of this piece.

These dolphins face a life in un-natural conditions in a concrete tank which no matter it's size, cannot compete with it's natural environment.  A dolphins main sense is sound.  It uses echolocation to survive.  A dolphin living in captivity is like a human living permanently in a place where the walls are made of mirrors.  Everything is distorted.  Most dolphins in captivity only live for a fraction of the lifespan they are capable of.

A single dolphin can be sold for up to US $250,000.  This is a very lucrative business for the "fishermen".

Dolphins family groups or pods are an inherent part of their life.  These dolphins witness the brutal slaughter of their pod members.  The slaughter is not humane.  They are stabbed continuously and drowned.  Some are even still alive while they are being cut up for food.

Dolphin and whale meat contains extremely high levels of mercury.  This is a fact that the Japanese government do not advertise to their own people!   As more people become aware of this, consumption has naturally declined.  Dolphin meat is therefore ground up and used as fertiliser to grow crops.  It is also used to bulk up cattle feed allowing the mercury to continue its journey through the food chain.

The Ultimate shared male activity

This is topical given that the Faroese slaughtered 120 Pilot Whales yesterday.  The title is a quote from a Faroese 'fisherman'

Big in Japan 2 an unsustainable industry

Big in Japan

Life and death on a Chinese Fur Farm

Her home is in the ocean

Staying on course

Struggling with doing things just because they're 'pretty' or fit a theme.

Appreciate and even like the technology but it's not what I want to invest my limited time in right now.

It's not an epiphany but I'm doing this project for a reason and I've wasted too much time being swayed from my course.

After a dose of Goodall, Singer and Pheonix, I'm pleased to report to myself that I'm back on track ...  this lady is not for turning.