Newest Turtle Artwork & Videos

I recently finished up two 8″ x 10″ pieces of two North American species, and have made drawing process videos of them as well. When looking at the average algae covered pond turtle, it’s easy to forget just how colorful some of them can be. The Wood Turtle is a great example of that, with their bright orange skin. So too are Spotted Turtles, with orange to peach scaling on their front legs, and many pale yellow spots.

I wanted to capture these two turtle species in their native habitats, so they are as described below.

The Wood Turtle is not strictly aquatic, often venturing out on land half of the time. However, in the artwork I have one swimming through a creek (or river) accompanied by a small school of minnows. A stand of trees in the woods shows just at the water’s surface.

The Spotted Turtle swims under aquatic plants and their hanging roots. The water is shallow and tinged yellow with tannin from dead and decaying trees.

Here are the process videos!

And here are the links where you can shop for products made with these pieces printed on them!

Sell Art Online

Photography Prints
 

I’ve developed a soft spot for turtles over the years, from both becoming enamored with local pond residents and rescuing injured or disoriented turtles. I now have two of my own as part of my family. Both were adopted from the Mid-Atlantic Turtle & Tortoise Society, whom I connected with through the wonderful Turtle Forum. Through them I learned about just how many turtles are abandoned and cast off as if throwaway items. I also learned how unique and personable turtles can truly be. No, they are not animals who are soft and cuddly, nor do most of them care for much handling. But they do interact with their owners, they have favorite foods, and some even enjoy a good shell scratch (They do get itchy, especially during a growth spurt). There are even some who actually want to be pet, or held, but it depends on the turtles disposition.

I have also met wonderful people who love them just as I do, and have expert knowledge on their care. A pet turtle or tortoise is a serious consideration as a pet, not just in terms of care, but also in longevity. Some are capable of outliving their owners, especially tortoises.

So, in appreciation of my artwork, I hope that people will also see the importance of the species depicted, both wild and captive, whether they be pets or wildlife that needs protection.

Here is a list of some great links about turtles. Stay tuned for more!

 

 

 

Seaturtles & Painting

A long while back, I did a few paintings for my bedroom after deciding that most wall art I wanted was out of my budget. I had several canvases laying around, and had a decent set of acrylic paints from painting sculptures in years previous.

I wanted something unique, and turtle themed.  These are the pieces I painted.

sea-turtle seaturtleacrylic

The largest one is 22″ x 28″, and the other is 10″ x 20″.

The large canvas hangs just above my bed, where most people get a good view of it. More than once, people have asked me if it was for sale. Stupidly, I said no.

Well, after putting plenty of effort into my colored pencil work and marketing that, I get a call from someone specifically wanting paintings like these, but with a yellow background. So, I make these on 8″ x 10″ canvases, and make some extra cash. Later, I made more this size thinking maybe it would be worth it to list some for sale, and see how they did. Well, as of this writing 6 of them have sold. At $25 for an 8″ x 10″, they are both easy to make and seem to garner more attention than my other work.

It’s frustrating in a way, because I put so much effort and skill into my color pencil pieces and they barely sell. I believe they are harder,  at least, to find the right buyers for. Not because of the subject, but because of the price tag. Someone has to be willing to invest in the work I’ve done, and those people seem the hardest to find. Especially now, everyone is tight on money, and art is a luxury purchase. I will find them eventually, but for now, I’m seeing where this new style will take me.

This style certainly seems to fit well with Florida and tropical themes in general, and the vibrant color schemes are very eye catching. I have done seaturtles, freshwater turtles, and a few box turtles so far. I plan on adding geckos, frogs, and some marine mammals to my collection.

This is the collection of paintings so far. More are being painted.

These in particular have been sold.

seaturtle5seaturtle2fw-turtle3box-turtle1

These are still available.

fw-turtle2 fw-turtle1 seaturtlep3 seaturtle4 seaturtle3boxturtle2 boxturtle3

 

This is the first 16″ x 20″ that’s been finished. More are coming!

 

lrg seaturtle1

 

To view my growing collection, or make a purchase, head over to my Etsy shop!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/SunTurtlesShop