Inspired by the world’s only known all-white male adult Orca whale (named Iceberg) spotted off the far east Russian coast in 2010. His tall dorsal fin stands high like a symbol of equality of all living things that bring us universal peace that we all wish to have. Race, sex, color of skin, hair, fur, feathers or scales doesn’t matter among the animal or plant world. Therefore it shouldn’t matter among people. We are all the same, all unique and beautiful in our own special way. All the other Orca’s in the pod treat Iceberg with love. We can also treat each other the same

I wanted to paint Iceberge with his pod swimming along coasts the Pacific Northwest of the US between the. mountainous pine forests out to the open sea in the distance. His pod accepts him as one of them, just as we are one of each other. We can learn a lot from whales.

2, 12 X 24 inch canvases ( 12 X 48 inches) oil.

I was inspired to do a painting about “Iceberg” the only known mature all-white male Orca in the world. I wanted to paint him with his pod, swimming through the mountainous pine forests along the Pacific Northwest of the US. His tall, triangular dorsal fin stands out like a flag symbolizing equality among all living things, which briings that universal peace that we all wish to have. Race, sex, skin, hair, fur, scales or feathers doesn’t matter among animals or plants. We are all beautiful and unique in our own special way. We are all the same. We all share this world together. All other Orca’s accept Iceberg with equality and love. So should humans. We are all the same.

Please protect our precious coral reefs and all the beautiful life that they support. They are here for a reason.

As a tribute to Earth Day, 2012, I created this painting of a coral reef. Our planet’s reefs are dying due to poor human activity such as pollution and bad fishing habits. If we don’t make a change, our coral reefs will not be beautiful and colorful as you can see in my painting. They will be stark white and scattered about the ocean floor like old bones. Coral reefs take hundreds apon hundreds, even thousands of years to grow. Please let’s do our part every Earth Day and help clean up our acts and our planet to make it a better and cleaner place to live. It’s the only world we’ve got. I call this, “In Search of a Snack,” because a Carribean Reef Shark is just arriving at this coral reef in search of food. I also added a silouetted hammerhead too. Hope you take a dive into my coral reef and enjoy…just watch out for the sharks. They are a bit hungry! Happy Earth Day everyone!

My family and I had just watched this baby Southern Right whale be born from from the cliff top in Walker Bay, South Africa. SInce the bay’s been designated a marine sanctuary and boat-based whale watching has been limited, the annual whale visitors have increased. How privileged we are to be able to observe things like this!

24X24 inches. Oil on black canvas

Inspired by the story/film “Big Miracle.”

Whales are not only the largest beings on earth, but also the most gentle.

This work was inspired by my love for surfing, the ocean and waves…life and art are one…

(You can view all 30 installation photos on my Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2911853408136.134449.1614667070&type=3

Nancy Tobin
January, 2010
Rope, Phone Books, Staples, Obsessive Behavior

Singular waveform constructed of stapled telephone book paper intersects every room in my house (8 rooms/1500 sq feet).

I am interested in the space where the inner and the outer world meet, where personal reality argues for territory against what is real. 

The home, for me, is the extension of the self… an expansion of the boundary of the psyche’s consciousness. It can be a prison, a refuge, a sanctuary, a protective wall. I am interested in examining the construction of our psychological and emotional boundaries and in what truly goes on behind our walls, in the mental spaces we have created. 

Repetitive actions, like thoughts, create reality. In my work, physical space, like mental space, is invaded with objects created from that repetitive action or thinking and is constructed, like nature, of bits of growth or experience that are layered in a cumulative effect to create a reality: a stalagmite, a stalactite, a coral reef, a self-view, a personal story. 


 Using what is found in the home for construction is metaphor for using of bits of the self. In my work, the viewer is invited to enter and experience the space, wherein a tension exists as a result of the battle between conflicting desires that goes into boundary placement. For the viewer, there is an element of inclusion and exclusion, as much of the space is physically inaccessible, and the undercurrent of discomfort is almost indiscernible from the beauty or wonder of the object that is creating the emotion. 

Through the construction process, perfection is also questioned and rejected, as all actions and accidents are incorporated “as is” to create a true reality, one not masked over through pathologization or disownment of negative thoughts or emotions; to accept the so-called flaws as a necessary part of the true fabric of the self which, in turn, helps to strengthen the ego’s ability to assert boundary.

Nancy Tobin
January, 2010

I have a new wave from Koh Samui, Thailand more can be seen at http://www.imagesfromaroundtheworld.com
enjoy
Michael