Gallery Spotlight
BEACH RACE
By Kim B. Parrish
© 2020 – 48 x 30” Oil on Canvas
GREEN SEA TURTLES
Chelonia mydas
FL Status: Federal/State Endangered
Biologists tell us that 90% of all sea turtle eggs in the US are laid on Florida beaches. Over 37,000 green turtle nests were documented here in a single year. After racing to the water, a small number of these hatchlings will swim out and take refuge in floating mats of sargassum. Surviving females will mate, then journey back to the same beach where they were born. Exactly how they find that beach is still debated; but clearly they were designed by their Creator with great instincts.
Florida has a regretful history with sea turtles. For many years, commercial operations were allowed to over-harvest and decimate our local populations. But now green turtles are carefully protected, and our Florida beaches are the launch pads for thousands of new baby turtles every year.
My original sea turtle painting “Beach Race” is 48 x 30 inches on canvas, and depicts a group of baby green turtles scrambling to the sea. Some of my paintings are also available as limited edition reproductions. Thanks for your interest in my work, and I hope you enjoy the beauty of Florida’s wildlife.