A work about grace within greatness – and the quiet awe of a moment that stays forever.
It was on Oʻahu, one afternoon on the island’s western shore. I sat barefoot in the sand, eyes resting on the horizon, when I saw them: whales. Again and again, their powerful breaths broke the ocean’s surface, as if the sea was quietly speaking. I could hardly believe it – seeing them there, wild, alive, immense.
A year later, I found myself in the water with a whole whale family. They moved past me, calm and unhurried, fully at home in their world. I remember the moment one of them glided by – no sound, just water, light, breath. It felt like time had paused. That encounter changed something in me. And it’s never let me go.
Golden Fins is my attempt to capture that deep stillness. The whale in this piece moves through a flowing composition of deep blue, emerald, and gold. Not for decoration – but as an expression of the energy that surrounds it. The golden elements tell of connection – between being, ocean, and movement. They reflect something sacred: the silence from which all life begins.
To me, whales are not just majestic creatures. They are memory. Power. Story. And a call to consciousness. Because even now, in 2025, whales are still being hunted – brutally, senselessly, under the guise of tradition or profit. It breaks my heart that we, as humans, fail to protect what is so clearly worth saving.
With this piece, I want to remind us. Of what we stand to lose if we keep turning away. And of what we might preserve – if we choose to listen.
