Oceans and sea creatures in crisis – from Art for Planet Earth touring exhibitions 2024/5

Six out of thirteen of the great whale species are currently classified as endangered.

This painting is a story about our beautiful gentle giants of the sea – the flash of a tail, a plume of vapour, breaching the surface – an unforgettable sight of these magnificent creatures. But in my painting the whale on the left is swallowing plastic pollution as it feeds. The middle one is trapped in fishing nets. On the right you can see barrels of toxic waste. The whales are at risk from warming waters, nets, plastic garbage, sound pollution from shipping and dumped toxic waste. Micro netting is cut and released into the sea when it breaks creating ‘ghost nets’ which get entangled around the animals.

If you watch YouTube videos you can see whales, dolphins, porpoises and turtles covered in discarded fishing nets coming up to boats, asking for help. It comes to something when sea creatures are asking us for help! Usually, their memories of humans (and I’m sure whales have big memories, like elephants) are that we are the predators This painting shows the dire straits the oceans and its animals are in.

The ocean is just a huge dustbin for humans – out of sight, out of mind. And it’s got to a point now where the dustbin needs emptying. We have huge islands of rubbish floating on the surface of oceans. And it’s getting worse. There’s nowhere on earth now where there isn’t plastic pollution.

Currently, companies who allow dumping of toxic waste are only given small fines. But they need to be prosecuted. And held accountable. It’s easier, and cheaper, to just dump waste into the drink than dispose of it responsibly.

I hope this painting will help to turn the tide!