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Entwined Fates

2/3/2021

 
I have finally finished a  new print.....one that I have been working on for longer than I've ever spent on a print before. It is another image of one of those amazing creatures...the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale. As I have written previously in other posts on this blog, because we humans continue to injure and kill these whales, primarily by entanglements in fishing gear and ship strikes, they are right at the edge of extinction. Their population has declined by almost 25 % in less than a decade. With only around 70 breeding females remaining, many of whom have had their ability to bear young severely compromised due to  these injuries, the future for these whales is not looking good....We are killing them far faster than they can reproduce. Scientists are warning us that unless we drastically reduce these injuries and deaths, they will  be functionally extinct in 20 years.  

Having been lucky enough to have spent a few hours in the presence of some of these whales, it is my feeling that it would be an unforgivable crime if we humans cannot be bothered to make the changes necessary to allow these beautiful creatures to recover....and  to thrive once again.
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Back in 2008, I had one of the most incredible experiences of my life, when a good friend and fellow whale lover and activist and I went on a trip in hopes of seeing right whales. And we did! Above you see a mom and her calf quite close to the boat we were on, which had cut its engine and was sitting still in the water. Surrounded by these, and other right whales, we had the most amazing few hours...
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And so the thought of these whales being driven into extinction really horrifies me. If we allow that to happen, if those whales dissapear forever, I have a feeling that it will come back to haunt us in a big way.....................
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After lots of time spent drawing in my sketchbook, I ended up deciding to go with the design seen above. And as so often happens, once I started work on the copper plates, it went through a bunch of changes along the way. I reworked a number of areas, including the whale's flipper and its entangling ropes, which I scraped out and re-did several times. But at long last, I decided it was finished...
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The 3 copper plates inked, carefully wiped, and aligned on the etching press bed. Ready to print. And the finished print below.......
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Entwined Fates  ~ drypoint ~ 12" h. x 17 7/8" w.

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