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Sea Turtles
The Turtle what a unique fascinating, funny looking animal. I don't know what started my fascination and obsession with turtles, but ever since I can remember I have always loved watching turtles. It might be because of the old stories of the tortoise and the hare, because sometimes I feel like the tortoise slow, but steadfast towards my goal, while fast action is zooming right around me, yet I still get where I want to go. I still get the job done, that I am striving for. I "Never Gave Up".
Even as a child I loved the water. I love swimming, and like the sea turtle. It's very hard and slow moving across land, but in the water. I'd feel free. I have a natural buoyancy, matter of fact some of my friends tried to see how much diving weights it would take to make me less buoyant. So I was able to swim underwater and even go diving with them, so to equal me out was almost 35 pounds. My Diff-Ability had my arms useless on land, but in water I could move them around similar to flippers on a turtle in the water. Swimming, was still slow for me, but I felt there were no barriers whatsoever. I learned to swim underwater effortlessly and I could hold my breath for over three and half minutes, which was longer than most other people around me. Now this gave me self-confidence that I could do some things better than other people, that was so cool.
My love for turtles is so powerful, that I actually put a turtle in every painting and drawings. The ones in this turtle gallery are pretty obvious. They are the main theme, but in other pictures for instance my country scenes. They are hidden, sometimes very well, and other times, they might be big and bold, like in the shape of puffy clouds in the sky, or a small leaf shaped like a turtle mingled and thousands of other leaves on a large bushy tree. So for all those collectors of my artwork start studying the pictures you have received in the past and see if you can find my hidden turtle or in some cases, dozens of hidden turtles.
Another way that I feel I have a connection to turtles, is that I think turtles are soft and romantic on the inside, but we have a hardshell to protect us from the harsh people that do or say cruel things, whether they're intentional or just plain stupid. For instance myself and the turtles seem to both start a hard harsh and dangerous journey just to survive dodging obstacles and hazards, just to get to the point of having a fair chance at life. I think it's so adorable to watch the hatchling turtles go as fast as they can to get to the open waters. I feel that same way every day soon as I wake up! Most people don't realize how many hours it takes just to get me ready to start my day off and that a lot of times I am already worn out by the time I start to work on my art. But yet this is something that I love to do. I live for the chance to show other people. What I can do with all my obstacles and challenges of life.
“I might be slow like a turtle, but watch me at the finish line.
Dolphins
Dolphins are like the soul of the sea, swimming around freely, with no natural boundaries. I loved to watch the Dolphins swim along the edge of the boats and ships, it's like they're the welcoming committee to the oceans of the world. Even though they are peaceful looking, you can tell they are very protective of their family and surroundings. They can even hold off large sharks. Dolphins have known to protect themselves fearlessly from anything, including humans. So those few attacks to humans have started to give Dolphins a bad reputation. You would think that large sharks and Wales would easily overpower a dolphin or porpoise, but with the mobility and speed, and I think very cleverness of a dolphin they can usually outwit any sea creature of the ocean.
As a kid, I have fond memories of an old TV series called Flipper, maybe that's the beginning of my fascination with the dolphin. The show Flipper, being a family TV show always portrayed the dolphin is friendly and helpful, and the show gave Flipper its own personality that you would have to fall in love with. Then as I grew up and making some short trips to Marines land, which is one of the first Marine places that you could look under water at the Dolphins and watch them swim. This got my imagination working overtime on how to paint them and draw them. As I imagined swimming alongside of them. Being born, for I never could use my arms or legs got me to relate to sea creatures. So even when I learned to swim. I always felt like I swam like a dolphin bending my midsection to move my feet like a flute tail and bobbing my head up for air. Sometimes I would daydream and let my imagination go wild. As I thought I was swimming with the Dolphins, being a dolphin. Now if I believed in reincarnation's. I would love to come back as a dolphin or turtle. Now if you notice all my dolphin pictures. Always have a little turtle hidden in the pain, but sometimes they're just swimming alongside in a peaceful marine life setting with bright colorful corals and small little fisheries, but I hope brings my underwater scenes full of life and joy. I love the underwater seas, they are less untouched by man times destruction like what we have done to our lands.
Manatees
Sea Cows or also known as Manatees, plus these huge sea creatures were once known as mermaids. This shows you how drunk or how blind, the old-time sailors got after several months or years out to sea. Let's face it. When you compare what pictures, paintings, drawings or better yet the movies portray a beautiful mermaid looks like compared to a manatee, even a blind person would know a big difference.
Living in Florida, gets me many opportunities to observe manatees in the wild. They are very huge and slow, so therefore they usually get hurt in some killed by propellers on fast boats. That's a big dilemma between boaters and manatees! Manatees are becoming rare, so therefore they are protected by zoning many areas as protection areas, stopping boaters from speeding by. Which in a lot of ways I feel this is great, but I also feel for the boaters, because the protected areas are getting larger and larger and preventing a lot of water activities in more places than might be necessary.
One of the places I love to go see manatees is that Crystal River, Florida. I love that place. It's almost in the middle of nowhere, and have a great place to observe manatees from an underwater observation platform in the middle of the river. If you get there at their feeding time, It is such a great way of getting photos and painting ideas of these huge marine creatures, that they are so ugly, that they are then actually cute. You wish you could just dive in and hug them and patch up their boat propeller deep scratches.
I have feelings for all wildlife, but especially marine wildlife. Probably from my love of the water, and being able to swim like a turtle or a dolphin. I love swimming in the ocean, especially down by the keys, where the water is so clear and the ocean wildlife isn't as stand offish as a lot of people. Now don't get me wrong, and a lot of people does not mean most, it just means that the less nice people seem to stand out in my thoughts sometimes. But the loving and heart warming people I seem to remember them all my life. Just like I seem to always remember my customers, especially the collectors of my creative art, who seem to appreciate my “Art from the Heart”. So painting these manatees that are so chubby, huge, but yet cute is like looking in a mirror while trying to capture their loving feeling and personality. It's safe to say that I'll always be painting manatee pictures.
Just look at a manatees face, it's like looking at a pub nosed dog or boxer, they are so ugly that you have to fall in love with them.
Sport Fishing
My experience of fishing with my brother “Captain Rick Ryals”, Puts fishing as one of those things I love to do, and I love not only to capture and eat but also capture the events on canvas. Fishing is something that most land air breathing animals like Bears, Cats and even Gators learn to do, also birds of the air hunt fish for food, nutrition and survival. Sports fishing can be a little different; of course there’s the desire of sports fishing for food, but a true sports fishermen. I feel will do it for the excitement to fight another creature just for the sake of the fight. Plus a true sporting conscious fishermen always thinks of another fight in the future, so if he wins this tug-of-war. He will release the fish unharmed. That's why I prefer fishing, compared to hunting, where the wild animal is always killed, and sometimes just for the sport of it. Just leaving the carcass rot, maybe only taking the head for a wall trophy I feel that this is such a waste of life. I know we were not intended to kill other god’s creatures. Just for the sake of killing. The only thing I can think of the positive, is that it's better than killing other human beings. And that I don't think there's ever a good excuse except for protection of yourself and loved ones.
The funny thing is, I almost feel two faced, because somehow it bothers me to see a buffalo head, sheep head or a deer head mounted on a wall. But on my own wall. I've had a tarpon mounted that I have caught fishing with my mouth, to remember the excitement the rush of catching a fish larger than myself. Plus I think I have a rattle snake's head sealed inside a solid glass dome. Plus I really admire seem beautiful birds stuffed and mounted showing their natural brilliant feathers. So in some ways I have no room to talk. I truly hope people enjoy sport fishing and hunting, it’s justj I pray they don't go overboard on how many creatures you need to kill. When it is not for the food for yourself or to sell as a livelihood.
Now don't get me wrong, I think sports fishing can be both sporting event between human and fish, and away a feeding yourself and family. I see no relationship between sports fishing for yourself and the overwhelming commercial fishing with enormous, widespread nets. Massive destruction of All variety of sea life, just to catch certain species. My heart breaks just thinking of all the underwater sea life is destroyed for their greed of some people's pockets. There has got to be a balance of stopping an extinction of animal life in this world versus feeding human beings in this world. I hope and pray that there will be more people with the wisdom to come up with an idea that benefits Every living being on this beautiful and magnificent planet earth.
Whales
Whales are so huge. Some are the largest mammals on the earth. Being so large. I believe that's the only way they survived was in the water, like the dinosaurs which were large to get now they are extinct, because there's not enough of anything on land to survive such a large creature. Again, my fascination with Wales can relate back to TV shows like free Willy and orca. I would love to be able to swim alongside some huge whale, I think everybody should be able to be near such a massive life form to remind them that God does create things big and small, tiny little insect bug to a large whale. I am grateful that I have just a little touch of the Master Creators, artistic talent to be able to use my spirit, brain and imagination to also create beauty and images of life, it's just mine are only on canvas.
Now I've never seen a whale in the wild open seas, but I have seen them Live in places like Marine land, Sea World and other various aquariums in the eastern United States. I do have a lifelong goal to go up along the West Coast and observe these grand mammals then paint or draw the whales whenever, wherever possible. Especially up to Alaska, for some reason Alaska and on the other side of the world Australia, these are the only two places in this world so far! I would love to travel to. Sightsee, take pictures, paint and explore all the different cultures. But mostly wildlife. Wildlife seems to me to be the perfect natural running machine on earth. With wildlife, whether on land or in the oceans, it seems that everything happens for a reason. mankinds developments are a natural necessity for us to survive and thrive, while not at the expense of nature's life-giving creatures. Every creature has a purpose in this world. So everyone that we caused to be extinct is in the long run changing our chances of long-term survival. I bet you there are some species out there that people don't think of can change our survival in a much shorter term. These are just my thoughts, but I am the artist, and this is my website. Please understand that I am just looking at the beauty of life, and as I am trying to portray it on canvas or paper, I believe it helps me to understand some of Earth's lifecycle.
Think of the size difference between whales, versus a bumblebee. And yet, if the bumblebees become extinct, there's no pollination therefore flowers and plants would start to die in without vegetation, animal life will start to die. So if something as small as a little insect can affect man's future may be a whale, which is a million times larger, could affect our future also.on
Sharks
Sharks are portrayed as the dark side of the undersea life. But I think of them, like birds of prey over the lands, for incidents like Eagles or hawks. Their bold, always hunting, and usually sort out the sick and the old for their food. I feel that sharks are so important to the balance of ocean life. They have such extreme line bullet type design great for speed and hunting. Plus of course, these are one of God's creations to balanced earths life. Including down to the depths of the sea.
Just like most stories, pictures or movies about sharks, I will do most of them as a fierce hunting machine, because that's what will usually settle the most. But some paintings of these magnificent variety of sharks, I want to show group gatherings, family and different lifecycles of sharks.
I have true sympathy for victims of sharks, like shark attacks that wound, mame and kill human beings. It is so unfortunate for people who unknowingly swim in their territory, which is basically the oceans. I compare it to someone going for a walk with just shorts and only sandals on. in the middle of the jungle, where there's lions and tigers and bears O my! Human beings are the dominant spirit on this earth, so we should be able to go and do whatever we need to survive on this planet, but we also need to protect and respect other creatures that God has created always for a purpose on this glorious planet. So being an artist, I try to see things different.
Other Sea Creatures
Hay! there is such a wide variety of other sea life beings throughout our world's oceans and seas that it truly blows my mind away. I am so fascinated of all the gorgeous colors and unique weird shapes of this underwater sea life. It truly shows me how creative and how great sense of humor God has. Do you remember watching those National Geographic documentary shows or the Discovery Channel shows, or to go way back to the mutual of Omaha wildlife show and especially the Jacgues Cousteau TV series called "The Underwater Odyssey of Commander Cousteau". with his ship called the Calypso for breathtaking dives into the deep blue seas, I always looked forward to seeing his shows. Even though at a young age, I hate documentaries, but his always fascinated me and gave me great painting ideas. The camerawork and the views that they portrayed really make you feel you are underwater with him. It was like watching a futuristic film of an alien planet, because some of the sea life were so unique and different you couldn't believe it was from this earth.
I love the way the jellyfish look, I think there like watery ghost full with spirits of the oceans. Because of their transparency, and hints of beautiful color they can manipulate their whole body in shape and color to flow with the seas and be carried anywhere. It almost reminds me of myself, because of my lack of movement with my arms and legs. I have to really go with the flow where people take me and push me around. I just wished I could change my shape, color and functionality to get around better. Then again, I think everybody wish they could do something like that, change to be something different now. I hope you do know, I am very lucky for the way I am, for the ability to think and direct my own outcome in life. I just wish sometimes my body would work a little better. Crap! I am realizing that the older we get the less any of us can do, so I must be in big trouble for the future! I just feel so blessed to have A future, don't you?
Tropical Fish
Tropical fish are the most unique shaped and colorful fish I have ever seen. No wonder so many homes, restaurants and other places of business have wonderful ponds or fish tanks in all the various sizes and shapes holding these vibrant tropical beauties.
Now I have just started painting a collection of tropical fish, so the selection is limited for right now, I hope to have the mindset to in several other species. Right now it is just lionfish and KOI ! So as people e-mail me photos of their tropical fish, hopefully this will give me encouragement and more great ideas to paint pictures of the subject. I really love it when people bring me great painting ideas. Sometimes I use them immediately, but a lot of times I file the ideas and all my various picture books for future reference. Of course when it is a custom order with a deposit, I'll always put those in front of the line to be painted next, no matter what the subject matter is. So please e-mail or snail mail some photos of your ponds, waterfalls, and fish tanks that are full of life and beauty.
