I have a total of 5 small Turtles completed. They are $175.00 each 3 are in Tropic Art in Vero and 2 are in Melborne Fl in Silken Fine Art. Each is individually sculpted with a different face and hand painted in oils.Some seem to be laughing or talking. I feel such a connection to the sea turtles that I have painted and sculpted them almost exclusivly for the last 5 years. In Florida I have seen tthe mothers coming on shore to lay their eggs and have been lucky enough to see the hatchlings emerge. I've helped to rescue some and have learned a lot about the perils they face. One researcher told me that only about 1% ever survive to adulthood. Recently in Florida the cold weather had a huge impact on the turtles and other marine life. Hundreds were saved by volunteers who warmed them.

This shows a few of the 30 hatchlings. Some are loggerheads and some are greens since they are hatched at the same time of year. The greens are a little later but there is a period of time when they overlap. Most of them emerge between May and Sept. The greens have light lines between darker scales and shells are light redish brown. The loggerheads have black lines.

Belize is a female Giant Green Sea Turtle. They are abundant in Hawaii and also the Caribbean and Florida. They are still on the endangered species list but people are learning more ways to protect them all the time. A good resource for information about Sea Turtles and what you can do to help is CCC the Caribbean Conservation Corp. founded back in the 50's by Archie Carr.

In the summer of 2008 tropical storm Fay stalled off the coast of Florida for 7 days, churned the ocean into huge waves and dropped 22 inches of rain. Many low lying housing areas were flooded. The sand was washed away and many of the boardwalks and steps were also washed away or severely damaged. In some areas around Vero Beach the sand dropped off 6 to 8 feet, and extended well up toward the sea grass. Unfortunately about 30% of the Sea Turtle nests were lost. Once the egg chamber is exposed it is quickly attacked by sand crabs, birds or stray dogs. Even the next high tide can wash them away. One of the research people told me that it is rare to be able to save the eggs. She said to incubate them they have to go back into a new egg chamber in the same order and in the same position that they were originally laid. Also if they have been exposed long enough for the temperature to drop that makes their survival very uncertain. It was sad to come upon this scene, but I share it as evidence of the huge obstacles the Sea Turtles face. Very few survive to adulthood.

I fell in love with Sea Turtles from the first time I saw one while on my very first scuba dive. It was an intro dive for newbies wanting to get certified and at about 20 feet down right along the edge of the reef there it was! It seemed so huge and unconcerned just slowly swimming around. It seemed so peaceful and serene I followed it for a while. Amazing. Since then I have studied them and painted them and sculpted them. One of my favorite art pieces is "Na Kupuna" which means the elder in Hawaiian. His face is so expressive and I think he really looks elderly. Turtles can live even longer than humans but there are many predators and dangers for them too. We were living on Molokai for a while and the Turtles were abundant. I am blessed to have my work, both turtles and fish, in three Hawaiian art galleries and three Florida galleries. The Kupuna piece is on Molokai at the Artists Guild Gallery. All of my work can be seen at www.lindahoganart.com

Newest Florida Turtle. This is a Loggerhead, the most common of the Florida Turtles. I used a little lighter colors in the shell and the markings on the fins. I have been sculpting and painting the Sea Turtles for about 5 years. Most of them have been Green Sea Turtles but living in Florida for a few months, I began to study the Loggerheads. They are paler in color, with larger heads. I saw several of the nests hatch and the babies are very dark brown.