Dinner Time (Oregon's Sea Otters)
Event: Last March 2024 I learned of a call to artists event by the Elakha Alliance. The event is called "Envisioning a Future with Sea Otters on the Oregon Coast." This was a curated event open to the public. Chosen works will be featured on various social/news outlets and physical copies will be in a silent auction held on Sept 28th at Yaquina Bay Yacht Club in Newport Oregon.
The Issue: Sea Otters have been missing from Oregon's ecosystem for over 100 years. They were hunted for their pelts. Due to the absence of the otter, there has been a spike in the Sea Urchin population. Urchins feed on kelp and Oregon's kelp forests are in danger. Kelp provides shelter for many creatures. (It's similar to a coral reef in cold waters.) This event brings awareness to the cause and helps the reintroductory program.
Results: My submission is an 18x24-inch Biomechanical Otter hunting Urchins off a rocky shore landscape. I drew this sketch with a pen and then colored it digitally. I wanted to showcase a healthy environment so I included various sea life in the background/foreground.
Today I was notified that my submission was chosen! So a framed version will be going to auction this fall!
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