Since my paintings are so inspired by nature I am profoundly affected by environmental concerns. The narrative of this painting portrays how essential the life within our oceans and upon the seabed is to the survival of our species: healthy coral reefs and phytoplankton create the oxygen for us to breathe, the fish and plant life provide sustenance and are each essential beings of the ocean ecosystem.

The painting suggests the evolutional theory of biological life but also serves as a metaphor for the journey of the human spirit. The seaweed haired figure at the bottom is mother nature birthing and nurturing life, the stork who merges from a dimension of 'reality' to one of the ethereal symbolises both a bringer of the 'new-born' and of renewal and the jellyfish soaring ever upwards in the sky are biological life transcended, spirits of another realm.

This painting started out as an environmental piece but during the period of its development I attended Linkin Park's last performance on their European tour. Tragically just days after this show Chester Bennington took his own life. I was shocked and saddened by this event which undoubtedly impacted upon the metaphorical direction of this painting.

LIFE SUPPORT

Original Painting £5,440