|
The “Coastal America Student Art Contest,” for Students in Kindergarten through College, was created to draw upon young people’s artistic expression to convey the importance of the ocean, coasts and Great Lakes through the Seven Essential Principles of Ocean Sciences created by the Ocean Literacy Network.
Adventure Aquarium and the NJ Academy for Aquatic Sciences is a regional Coastal Ecosystem Learning Center for the Tri-State area and proud host of the Ocean Art Contest.
Congratulations to all of our winners!
|
My inspiration for this picture is the fact that the ocean is largely unexplored, and is like a hidden treasure we have yet to fully discover. In my artwork, the treasure chest is representing the ocean, and the fish are representing treasure. I made sure to include a variety of sea life that people don’t usually first think of when they think of the ocean. I know for me, the first thing that pops into my head is an array of fish. With that thought, I decided to put things on there that I personally found beautiful and underappreciated. We as humans are born with the desire to explore and find new things, and we should take that desire and bring it with us to the depths of the ocean. The ocean is our own piece of natural made art that we should admire forever.
|
 |
Imagine this: Dozens of creatures float by you, drifting along. Strange beings cross your path as you make your way to your home. As you make your way there, you notice I’m only one small little part of a huge ocean! Can you believe it? All different kinds of beings coexist in one huge ocean, from Antarctic penguins to turtles or even starfish, all in one place.
In my piece of artwork, two penguins are touching beaks together to form an oval shape in the middle. In this shape, there are many fish swimming around to symbolize the diversity. Above the penguins are an island and an iceberg. These are to show different ecosystems. My piece of art is trying to show how one vast ocean can support all different walks of life. |
|
 |
| It is impossible to separate the ocean and humans; they are forever linked. The ocean is vital to humans. They rely on the sea for many purposes. Primarily, people use the ocean for recreation. During the summer, they might like to go to the beach when the thermometer is about 100 degrees and sweat is dripping down their beating, red faces. On the other hand, they cannot go to the beach because of our pollution by throwing away bottles, cans, etc. in the bodies of water. In addition, humans are not the only ones getting affected due to pollution. Sea animals get harmed since the garbage that we throw away gets eaten by them, so the sea animals are getting poisoned because of us. In turn, we eat them and also get poisoned. My artwork shows the effect of everyday pollution on the Earth’s oceans, and ultimately us. |
|
 |
The Ocean Supports a Great Diversity of Life and Ecosystems
Around the globe, great varieties of marine ecosystems exist, scaling from the northern temperatures of glacial regions to the southern, tropical climates of coral reefs off the costs of Australia, Florida, and other Caribbean islands. Every one of these ecosystems attract marine life that swarm barrier reefs, and add quantities of colors and magnificent qualities to the scattered, monochrome rocks that lie on the shallow floors of the ocean. When a school of minute organisms, such as plankton, inhabits these rocks, wide ranges of life follow. Families of fish arrive in order to feed on the plankton and bacteria, while larger creatures colonize to claim their positions on the food chain. Oceanic life soon begins to frolic in. |
|
 |
This piece of artwork shows how the ocean and humans are intertwined together. It shows mostly how the ocean indirectly alters human life. One example is the fish that can be seen. The ocean is one of humanities major food sources. It provides food for mankind all over the world. It also is a beautiful blue majestic mystery. That is why I choose to use watercolors instead of another type of medium. Watercolors blend together like the oceans on Earth.
The river running through the land shows that the ocean has a great impact on the scenery. The oceans and rivers carve into the Earth, forming a different kind of beauty. The grass around it paints a calming foundation. The tree represents that something great can grow from Earth and water. We stay grounded by the Earth and the ocean as they intertwine to coexist and enrich our human race. |
|
 |
| My watercolor painting contrasts tropical organisms with the organisms of the abyssal plains. In my depiction of tropical organisms, I show a few varieties of tropical fish. I also show some coral reefs, and sea anemones. In my depiction of the organisms of the abyssal plains, I show hydrothermal vents, organisms that use bioluminescence, squids, and other organisms. In the ocean, there is a vast diversity of organisms so I picked two that really show contrast between each other. In the tropical regions, there are great amounts of light and bright colors. These regions are explored daily because they are easy to get to. In the abyssal regions, it is so dark that many organisms have to rely on bioluminescence so they can see. Not many people have been down there to explore because the water pressure is so great. I think this contrast between life is beautiful. |
| |
| |
| |
|
|
