Painted tapestries of Florida Turtles – An Artist Plea.
Dante Fascell Gallery, Biscayne National Park, Miami, Fl. | February 15th to May 7th, 2023
The earliest known turtle fossils are from the time of the dinosaurs, the Triassic Period 220 million years ago! Yet today approximately 61 percent of the world’s 356 turtle species are rare, threatened or already extinct. In Florida we are blessed to have 32 species of which 11 are endangered or vulnerable. Beautiful and mystical, turtles are an intrinsic part of the planet’s ecological balance. Sea turtles help to maintain productive coral reef ecosystems and transport essential nutrients from the oceans to beaches and coastal dunes. On land, these reptiles graze, dig burrows, disperse seeds, create and modify habitats, and they affect food webs and mineral cycling.
Turtles are struggling to persist in the modern world, and that fact is generally unrecognized or even ignored. Over the last 200 years, human activities have tipped the scales against their survival. Slaughtered for their eggs, meat, skin, and shells, sea turtles suffer from poaching and exploitation. They also face habitat destruction and accidental capture—known as bycatch—in fishing gear. Climate change also has a big impact, for example on turtle nesting sites; it alters sand temperatures, which then affects the sex of hatchlings. On land, their greatest threats stem from habitat loss, roadkill, consumption by humans for food and traditional medicines and over-sell in the international pet trade.
The Palette Knife Artists of Miami are unified in bringing attention to these beloved creatures, who are important symbols of religion, mythology, and folklore from around the world. In the hands of these eleven artists, the turtles take on a whole new meaning as they become transformed on canvas in rich colors, dramatic textures, and abstract forms. As our exhibit travels, our hope is that everyone will be encouraged to seek information and join local efforts to conserve them. “Life in a Shell” art exhibit emphasizes the importance of our delicate environmental balance, playing such a vital role in the survival of every sentient being on our planet.
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Featured Artist of the Show
Their soft and leathery shell gives them their name. The oldest and largest of all sea turtle species. They’ve been around more than 150 million years! They weigh up to 2,000 lbs., can swim up to 12,000 miles at 22 mph and dive 4,000 feet!
Described as dinosaurs because of their spiky shells and primitive-looking faces, they are the largest freshwater turtles in North America.
Males can reach up to 29 inches and 250 pounds! Their tongue resembles a red worm which helps to lure prey and ambush predators.
The “Caretta caretta” turtle is named for its oversized head, which looks like a big log. Can weigh up to 375 lbs. and live up to 80 years. A female travels thousands of miles to nest her eggs on the same beach where she herself hatched as a baby!
They are native to the southeastern United States. Mainly consume mollusks, insects, and small fish found in rivers.
Map turtles are dwindling in number due to human-driven pollution, prompting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to propose adding them to the list of threatened species.
Tortoises and turtles teach us that everything we need is within us. A symbolism of longevity, endurance, patience and wisdom. They are the ultimate symbol of protection with the built-in armor they possess which shields them from the chaos of our world.
They are threatened by overharvesting of eggs, hunting adults, being caught in fishing nets and loss of nesting beach sites. All preventable causes!!
The green sea turtle is so named because they are uniquely herbivores, the lawn mowers of the sea beds which maintains their health.
The name “terrapin” comes from “torope”, a word in the Algonquian indigenous language meaning ‘a little turtle’.
Also, from the diamond-shaped pattern on its shell which is covered with horny scales.
They can survive in both fresh and saline water but prefer brackish coastal habitats in the lower Florida Keys.
This turtle is limited to the western part of Pensacola in Florida and the Southern region of Alabama.
They prefer freshwater rivers with sandy bottoms and will bask on wood debris. Their shell is peaked and reminds me of a conquistador’s helmet!
The Palette Knife Artists of Miami would like to give a special thanks to:
Ranger Gary Bremen and Biscayne National Park
(U.S. National Park Service)