‘Beneath the Blue’

ARTIST: Emma Garness

“Researching how pentameral symmetry is found in sea stars, I wanted to stretch this into pattern, and what better way than with the some of the sea stars food, molluscs, cockles, scallops, mussels, limpet and winkles. The Asteria Ruben sea star, which is common to our east Coast, and comes in colours of orange, light brown and violet. I wanted to share how beautiful and important these echinoderms are to our coast line.

The centre of the design for my sea star, is painted fluorescent orange then light brown then violet, to compliment the local sea stars to our coast line. Over the top of these colours would be the pattern of the Asterias Rubens food, mollusc- mussels, winkles, cockles and limpets, painted in a dark greenly brown blue colour with this paint rubbed away to highlight the base colours underneath. 

I believe we all need to play a part in keeping our oceans healthy and by reminding us how beautiful and precious the animals in it are on a bigger sculpture, it might just plant a seed in someone to care.”