I don't know what's going on. Two weeks ago, I came across a dead baby dolphin on the beach here in Goa, while on my walk at sunset. I was quite distressed about it, but heard stories the subsequent days of dolphin sightings on the beach....Live dolphins!
I've been illustrating a 'sea' children's book all month, and it's a pleasure to be doing these watercolours by the sea, using the water from the sea. So it was especially exciting today, when I spotted a dolphin, alive and well, bobbing along with the waves very close to the shore. The light on the water was glorious today, and I decided to go for a swim this afternoon. While in the water, I saw two lifeguards pull a dead dolphin ashore. It had been dead for a few days, and had it's skin peeling off. I proceeded to do a watercolour of the burial ceremony, as the lifeguards dug a grave for it.
I bring all of this to light because, a couple of months ago, one of my hiberation dreams in Canada was of a dead seal and a polar bear being brought ashore. There was even a reindeer ( or perhaps an elk or Caribou) that was lying upside down on a sort of a trailer. I touched the seal/polar bear and asked if it would help me tell it's story.
I am hoping that these experiences that I see, help me tell the story of these creatures, so that I can translate in some form the beauty, magnificence and LIFE that exists all around us.
It's all quite exciting, working on the 'sea' book on the beach, painting with sea water, and when I finished the last spread, a dolphin jumped out of the water. Quite magical indeed. Here are some spreads from my sketchbook, and a sneak peek at what I've been doing.
