Five Starfish, on light green dropcloth Print

Starfish, this Pacific coast species is called Ochre Starfish, Sea Star or 'Pisaster ochraceus', is a fascinating intertidal zone dweller and considered a keystone species ecologically. They seem soft and squishy when seen above the waterline, but they are powerful predators that eat shelled molusks. This is a digital image created from an analogue source, the silhouette of a five limbed starfish is cut out of a piece of paper which is laid over a 'drop cloth' style abstract painting. The 'dropcloth' background is made from the sheets of paper I cover my work surface with, and they start out as a literal drop cloth to catch the paint that spills, drips and runs off other things I paint. The use of bubble wrap for monoprinting (like a stamp) is intended as a visual reminder of the ecological dangers that plastic in our oceans presents to wildlife. The cut out animal and the drop cloth are then combined in various ways on my scanner to create this series of animal silhouettes. The series includes a variety of west coast wildlife. When I first visited the west coast as a child, long before I lived here, I was fascinated by the creatures that occupied the intertidal zone. The sometimes wet, sometimes dry area of constant change fascinated me I greatly admired the resiliance of creatures dwelling in this fluctuating environment. Many of the creatures in the series are presented in both 'positive' and 'negative' space versions of the image, as well as facing left and right... that's tricky with the five limbed starfish which is always 'facing' down I suppose... Starfish challenge the concept of 'facing'. I know of no creature more omnidirectional.