Theo the Green Sea Turtle

It seems only fitting to make the first animal on the Wild about Art Journey the one that started it all. The Green Sea Turtle painting has a very special place in my heart. Not only was it the first painting I did that made me think that my artwork was good enough to even contemplate selling but the inspiration and reference for this piece has a huge significance.

In 2020 I had moved to the Queensland coast in the hopes to get some kind of experience working with animals. In a time where things were so uncertain I was fortunate enough to get a position volunteering at a turtle rehabilitation centre on an island just off the coast. Living full time on an island, helping sick and injured sea turtles was the start to my wildlife career and it was what has gotten me to where I am now.

While on the island I had found a turtle floating along in the rocks that needed a little bit of care and rehabilitation. I managed to get to the turtle, scoop it up and carry it back to the rehab centre. I named that turtle Theo, did the intake assessment, treated, fed and cared for this juvenile turtle. After a seven week stay, the float and infection issue had been resolved and I was able to release it back into the ocean in my final week of being at the rehab centre. To be able to not only find a sea turtle in need but to also be able to rehabilitate it and give it a second chance back out in the ocean has honestly been one of the most cherished and fulfilling moments of my life.

We released eleven sea turtles back into the ocean in just four and half months. Yes, those moments were wonderful and full of hope but those four months had also been some of the hardest moments I have had to experience. It definitely wasn’t the easiest thing I have done but it certainly was one of the most rewarding. Those days on the island gave me the knowledge and experience to move on to bigger things! A number of the paintings I have made and hopefully many more I will make are of animals I have been so fortunate to work with. I have had the opportunity to see their beauty and wonder close up and I’d love to share even a fraction of what I have seen with any one who is an animal lover like me. I also hope to inspire people to make some kind of a difference in the same way these animals give me inspiration.

As the late Jane Goodall said “The least I can do is speak out for those who cannot speak for themselves”