“Reaching” is about seagrass searching for light. This amazing plant can grow up to 3- 9 feet tall. Mostly found in shallow brackish waters, seagrass reaches for light for photosynthesis. They evolved over 100 million years ago and there are around 72 different species of seagrass.

In this painting I was interested in capturing how the blades of eelgrass reach for light. I had read about “Aerenchyma” soft plant tissues containing air spaces that help seagrass blades become buoyant and found this idea fascinating. I created many washes of colors and then layered in which thick impastopaint. I love drawing in-between layers creating a feeling of simultaneous movement that our eelgrass habitats provide.

Installation day was super exciting, we first figured out what height worked best for the art collector and my self by testing out several different heights. Then we used a measuring tape and pencil to mark the top, we figured out the center of the wall and marked off the height where the wire would hang. Presto, I hammered the nails in and we installed the painting. Perfect!