Inspired by Wyland

Guess who I got to meet?  Marine artist extraordinaire Wyland, who has completed 100 Whaling Walls around the world in order to spread awareness and appreciation of our underwater neighbors. I recommend you perform a Google Search, for they are spectacular.

Perhaps you’ve been fortunate to see one of Wyland's walls up close (me: #40: Inner City Whales, his Port Authority mural in Manhattan); or watched him painting away on his PBS show.

Wyland was visiting his gallery in South Lake Tahoe Saturday night, so I was finally able to to tick another item off my Bucket List. 

I’ve been hoping to speak to Wyland since he participated in a show at the Jacob Javitz Center in NYC ten years ago.  I was still on Ruff Life in Puerto Rico, therefore the possibility to attend was impossible.

So I did the next best thing:  sent Sis into Manhattan to present him with one of my higüera centerpieces (above).  He, in turn, presented Hill with a copy of his coffee-table book for me, inscribed with a very nice compliment about my art.

While I was teaching myself nautical art in the Caribbean I used Wyland’s work as a source of inspiration.  How could I not?  Even though I can't paint the way I used to because of wonky hands, I wanted to thank Wyland for sharing his art the way he does. Take a moment to look at his Foundation's page.

I may not have been able to help Wyland on his whaling walls, but I'm still volunteering to help his foundation, for which I got 'knuckle knocked'.  Isn’t it fun to meet celebrities? I get tickled every time.