Northern Royal Albatross – Toroa
Another amazing Albatross that spends about 85% of its time out at sea, traveling vast distances thanks to its mastery of the ocean winds and thermals.
They mate for life and live to a ripe old age: provided they don’t ingest or get caught in man-made hazards such as plastic waste, nylon fishing lines, and fishing hooks – all of which we have dumped into the ocean and landfill in far too vast quantities.
I read recently that the plastic situation is becoming dire. Not only are there huge islands of plastic waste in our oceans, but plastic in quantity has now entered the food chain via microscopic particles formed by the degradation of dumped plastic trash. These particles are not just to be found in ocean water – they are also in all our waterways, rivers and streams, in tap water and also probably in precipitation.
The really scary thing about plastics is that being derived from petroleum, they also carry the petroleum estrogenic signature. Which means we are all being bombarded with additional estrogen – men, women and living creatures alike. This if course is especially not good for males.
Say no more!
Thirteen varieties of albatross breed in the New Zealand region – more than anywhere else in the world. Northern royal albatrosses are among the largest birds in the world, with a wingspan of 106–120 inches. Frequently encountered by mariners in the sailing days – see The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
Digital work – vector pen tool in Macromedia Fireworks MX.
For more details about the artwork and products, click on the images.
Patricia
Albatross
The Albatross, one of the world’s most amazing birds – spending about 75% of its time out at sea, traveling vast distances thanks to its mastery of the ocean winds and thermals, mating for life and living to a ripe old age.
As of 2017 when these works were created, the oldest wild bird known in the world was a female Albatross called Wisdom – first banded in 1956 at the estimated age of 5, her tag had been replaced 6 times over the intervening years. At 66 years old she had just reared another chick at Midway Atoll, in the middle of the North Pacific ocean.
The USGS have logged that Wisdom had flown over three million miles since 1956. Hallelujah!
The albatross became a familiar sight to mariners on sailing ships traveling the southern seas. This relationship is the subject of “The Rime of The Ancient Mariner“, a poem written in 1834 by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
PS: And if this makes you think of the most beautiful instrumental work ever written in the Rock genre – you are right: I had Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Albatross‘ playing on a loop while creating this piece. Awesome!
Digital art – Vector. For more details about the artworks and products, click on the images
Patricia
Fire And Water
This artwork is built around a sculpture I made some years ago as part of a set of 4 pieces symbolizing ‘The Elements’, seen in the New Zealand context.
Fire is symbolized by the volcano, and water is ubiquitous in Aotearoa, the Land Of The Long White Cloud.
Fire and water of course do not mix, and some especially spectacular results occur when volcanic magma and gases are released under the sea. This is exactly what is predicted to occur when the next eruption takes place in our largest city, Auckland – a narrow peninsula riddled with approx 53 volcanic vent holes.
In this regard, here is an interesting comment from NZ’s GeoNet:
“The type of volcanic activity in Auckland means each eruption has occurred at a new location; these are coming from a single active ‘hot spot’ of magma about 100 km below the city. … Auckland’s existing volcanoes are unlikely to become active again, but the Auckland Volcanic Field itself is young and still active.”
For more details, click on the image.
Mixed media – sculpture and Bézier pen tool vector. Created in Macromedia Fireworks MX.
Patricia
A Hot Day’s Boating
Yachts off the coast in the heat of a Far North summer’s day. But there’s a bit of a breeze and all the boaties are reveling in being out on the water.
This scene could be in many places, though the red tree blossoms give a clue. These are pohutukawa trees – our NZ Christmas tree that flowers in the summer, from the Far North to the Bay of Plenty.
As you can see, there are 2 rocks (called Arrow Rocks) sticking out of the ocean in this bay, and over recent years they have become an important scientific resource for geologists, because the span of geological time covered in these rocks is unique.
A news report in 2010 stated, “There are not many places on Earth where geologists can study a sequence of rocks spanning the Permian and Triassic periods. So it is little wonder that they keep returning to Arrow Rocks near Tauranga Bay. The island has fossils and sediments which date between 252 million and 292 million years ago and have the potential to offer clues about the planet’s biggest species extinction event.”
Japanese geologists realized the scientific importance of Arrow Rocks in 1999 and visit annually accompanied these days by scientists from the NZ Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences.
This painting is available as prints and on other products.
For more details, click on the image. Enjoy!
Patricia
Dolphin Fantasy
While on the subject of summer and the sea, here’s another Mighty Wallet design I’ve just released – Dolphin Fantasy, which shows 3 Dolphins flying through the air above a distant rural landscape / seascape.
This work started life as a wet-on wet acrylic, and after it dried I added the dolphins. I had been reading a book about dolphins, and that, plus frequent reports of the many pods that circle our coastline and visit holidaymakers and tourist boats, inspired this work.
As the painting came together, I realized these dolphins were in fact having fun far above the sea and land, and that added the extra spice of fantasy to this artwork.
For more details, click on the image.
In the sidebar I have a link to the original artwork on Society6, where it is available as prints, iPhone cases, cushions and many more products.
Patricia
Water Meets Sand – Te Paki Stream
Here’s a very special piece of landscape, and one of my personal favorite artworks – inspired by some of the most unique scenery in New Zealand.
Te Paki Stream in the Far North of NZ is famous for its wilderness, its massive sand-dunes and great boogie boarding. What a combination! Its breathtaking quality comes from isolation, plus a unique engagement between water and sand dunes, that produces the added danger element of quicksand.
The stream bed is part of the Cape Reinga round trip, and provides about 3.5 km of tricky driving. Both the stream bed and 90 mile beach are treacherous with quicksand, so unless you are very experienced in the locale and this type of driving it is better to make your journey by tour bus. The buses are a great ride with wonderful commentary and they stop in the stream bed to allow time for boogie boarding. It’s worth noting that car hire companies do not permit their vehicles to be driven on this route.
Of course it’s wonderful to visit these places under your own steam. So, there are walking tracks for the real outdoors types, which apart from the buses is the best way to go – at least you can be sure of still having a vehicle when you return to base!
The other great attraction of this trip is the Cape Reinga lighthouse, situated at the clifftop on what is almost the northernmost promontory of NZ, with the Pacific and Tasman seas on each side. Quite an experience to stand there and look out to where their waters mingle offshore.
Stream bed artwork painted in acrylic, with acrylic painted additions, including a maori fishing hook – matau. I just sold a tote bag with this design.
Patricia
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