‘Bloom’, 31.5” acrylic on maple panel, 2019

Arctic Wonders Series (1/3) Zooplankton from the Arctic Ocean for a permanent ‘Change’ exhibit on Endurance National Geographic & Lindblad.

The northern sea nettle Chrysaora melanaster, is native to the Arctic sea. Human activity has led to warming and polluted seas, causing these jellyfish to thrive where other marine life cannot. The painting features a large ‘bloom’ of jellyfish rising towards the surface of the shallow turquoise sea in the diminishing light of the setting sun.

This series explores the incredible diversity and importance of zooplankton in our changing climate. Every other breath we take is a gift of oxygen from phytoplankton. These magnificent organisms of the drifting world form the base of the oceanic food chain and have transformed not only the ocean, but the entire atmosphere, to help make the planet habitable for all life including ourselves. The multitude of organisms featured in this series is all trying to adapt to the changing Arctic seas, some populations exploding, while others collapse. I’m hoping to highlight these rarely seen species to convey a sense of fascination and the thrill of discovery I had when researching this project. Curiosity about hidden strange and unusual life can ignite the hearts and minds of everyone fortunate enough to visit the arctic landscape or hope to someday.

Special thanks to National Geographic, Lindblad, and all the biologists who made this painting possible. Most of all, Steven Haddock and Wyatt Patry from the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Bart Shepard from the CA Academy of Sciences, and Alexander Semenov at Moscow State University’s White Sea Biological Station, and Charlotte Havermans from the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research.