"Sea Food Chain" - triptych oil
on canvas 9' wide x 4' high
BY NANCY TILLES
This painting was completed in the summer
of 2007. It is an unusual painting for me because it is a whole
scene under water. Most of my paintings concentrate on single
subjects. This painting tells the story of the sea and how every
living thing has a purpose and must eat other living things to
survive.
The images were inspired first by an
underwater photograph I took of the yellow tail snapper feeding
on seaweed. The activity reminded me of a kind of food frenzy.
I chose the center image because of the patches of sand that reflected
the sky above giving it a feeling of a lagoon under water. I carried
the yellow tail snapper throughout the three paintings. In the
center panel, the fish are being stalked. The one about to be
caught has been marked by me with a red tail. The first panel
shows a stingray floating high above the sand it usually hides
in.
My family and I have been snorkeling
in Key Largo now for the past five years. It is such a privelage
to have such a treasure in our own "back yard". It is
our duty to enjoy and protect it.
