Tribal Art Sea Turtle

Well my Tribal Art looks more Aborigine than Senufo. It's oil pastels on a scrap piece of matboard. It tells a story about an experience of mine in Acapulco last year.

I woke up one morning about 5am, and couldn't go back to sleep. I decided to go for a walk on the beach to watch the sun come up. My sister rolled over half asleep and wispered, "take my camera." My camera was being repaired, so I didn't have it this trip.

After walking a little ways, the first rays of color started to show on the horizon. I had paused to try to figure out how to work her camera, when I saw something dark crawl by my feet. I thought it might be a crab, but to my amazement it was a baby sea turtle scampering his way through the sand towards the ocean. I tried to get several shots of him, but I was unfamiliar with her camera, and then the batteries died. So, I just stood there and watched him struggle. When he made it to the water's edge, he would be washed ashore by the first wave that hit him. I watched him tumble in the surf, and then crawl back for more, three times before he finally made it out to sea. I wanted to help him, but I knew better.

I was so excited that I started to search the beach for more. I knew he wouldn't be the only one. It was still dark, so it was difficult to see. Then I saw a ferral dog running towards me. I thought, "oh no, he's looking for food." I was too late. He had one of the babies in his mouth. It was so sad to see this scrawny dog, who's hips and ribs stood out, carrying one of these precious creatures away for what would probably be his only meal for days. Unfortunately, Acapulco is full of these poor neglected strays. That beach is a well know breeding ground for sea turtles. It made me wonder how many we lose each year because of the dogs.


I did have my underwater camera with me, and took these photos below while snorkling. The visibility wasn't that great, so I tried to touch them up in Photoshop.