What went through me as I created the piece?
Most artists have a story behind their pieces. They run the gamete from obvious to fascinating. I love when someone is interested in my inspiration.
This question has been asked of artists more times than there are drops in the ocean. And always the answer is: What does it mean to you? Art is subjective.
Inspiration behind the artwork
Before the hotels, homes, artificial lights and tire tracks in the sand the southern beaches of Baja hosted large numbers of nesting sea turtles. Their natural habitat in Cabo San Lucas has been destroyed due to encroaching human presence. In an effort to survive, they have moved north to Todos Santos, even though the water temperatures are less than ideal here.
Herculean efforts by various organizations – the tortugueros – have assisted the turtles by patrolling the beaches daily, collecting the freshly laid eggs and transferring them to greenhouse nurseries where they are kept safe, warm and then released upon hatching.
The hatchlings can no longer run the gauntlet from nest to sea as Nature has intended to strengthen them. The tire tracks are too numerous and deep for them to navigate. Artificial night lights confuse them and they head in the wrong direction – away from the sea. As it is, the natural chances of a turtle surviving to mating adulthood, without any human interference, is 1 in 1000. They risk so much to survive.
This piece is set on a beach of San Sebastián looking south to Punta Lobos. The buildings have been erased and the sand swept smooth. It is Todos Santos in its pristine beauty.
A turtle has just finished laying her eggs in the dune. Her tracks show her return to the sea. Just as she hatched on this very beach and made her way to the water some 20-50 years ago, so too, hopefully, will her offspring repeat the cycle.
Will we ever learn to coexist with other inhabitants of our beautiful planet?
We risk losing all this beauty if we don’t protect it.
Copies of this image, along with valuable information, have been posted on numerous beaches throughout Todos Santos, courtesy of Proteger Todos Santos, asking the populace to please respect our flora and fauna.
