Wingman

Turtles are my wingman. Any time I want to paint, but am not quite sure what to paint, 

sea turtles come to my rescue. 

My girlfriend who is also an artist, says I could paint sea turtles in my sleep!

I really enjoy them and the beauty and serenity they represent. 

I want to swim with turtles some day, photographing them underwater 

so I would have lots more references. I have a great deal of references from diving friends and from the Sea turtle hospital in Marathon Florida. I have been invited to go to the lab in Mississippi and photograph them there. In the business of life I managed to lose the card a gentleman gave to me several years ago at Art in the Pass.

This turtle happens to be a green sea turtle. 

They are called green because their skin has a greenish hue. Their shell or carpace is almost heart shaped and dark in color. They start out life at about 2 inches, but can grow to 5 feet making them one of the largest sea turtles. They weigh almost as much as a vending machine! (700 pounds) 

As babies they eat invertebrates like crabs, jellyfish and sponges. When they become adults, they prefer to be herbivorous and will eat sea grasses and algae. They are known to sun themselves on the beach as well. They reach breeding age between 20 and 50 years old. 

They can live for about 100 years. 

Green turtles were almost hunted to extinction in the 1800's for their meat and 

fat that was used for turtle soup. There is a large turtle museum in the keys dedicated 

to the turtle industry. They are still considered endangered.

Wingman, 12 x 24 Acrylic on canvas,

Day 18 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2018

Retails for $195