Charles Print

I began by looking at the beauty and diversity of our oceans. Both of my sons are fascinated by wildlife, especially sharks. Sadly, we discovered that 100 million sharks are killed each year for their fins, which are used to make soup. This is irreversibly altering the balance of marine ecosystems and 25% of sharks and rays are threatened to the point of extinction. There are, on average, just four fatal shark attacks a year and yet many people fear them. Learning more about this led me to create work centred around the destruction of our marine habitats, heat, climate change, and the effects of deforestation. I want my work to reflect both the majesty and power of nature. I want to capture the determination of animals, and their ability to survive and adapt in a rapidly changing environment. Most importantly, I want to ensure that people celebrate and conserve the natural world so that it can inspire and fascinate future generations. I am a painter but I enjoy combining different techniques such as burning, scratching, and printmaking over watercolor and acrylics. I like it when colours bleed together in ways that I cannot control and the interesting marks that are created when printing. I want to keep it wild.