Kelp Forest by Teagan White

7-color screen print

18 x 24 Inches

Regular Edition (Green): Limited edition of 75 | Signed & numbered

Variant Edition (Lavender): Hand-embellished limited edition of 25 | Signed & numbered

Photograph by Milo Burcham

"Kelp Forest" by Teagan White highlights sea otters (Enhydra lutris) along with species that cohabitate the northwestern coast of North America. Sea otters are classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Hunted extensively for their fur, their populations plummeted from an estimated 150,000–300,000 to 1,000–2,000 by the time they enacted an international hunting ban in 1911. While conservation efforts have helped the species rebound, their current range is limited to 2/3 of their original area and these charismatic marine mammals continue to face challenges including habitat destruction.

"My piece "Kelp Forest" depicts sea otters swimming among kelp, Garibaldi fish, and schools of sardines. I wanted to portray otters both in their natural environment, and literally intertwined with the marine life that they feed on and help sustain. What's sometimes overlooked in conversations about endangered and threatened species is the role one species often plays in a nuanced and interconnected ecosystem. Sea otters have a huge impact on their coastal habitat, preying on marine animals that consume kelp and maintaining the balance needed for the forests to support diverse life and reduce carbon levels.

The threats to sea otters are equally complex; food shortages have caused their habitat range to expand, putting some populations in danger as they encounter new threats like shark attacks, oil spills, fishing traps, toxic pollutants, and parasites. Habitat preservation, regulation of run-off and pollutants, responsible fishing practices, and oil spill prevention are just a few measures we can take to help sea otters continue their important work as regulators of coastal ecosystems."

 

Artist Bio

Teagan White is a freelance illustrator specializing in intricate drawings of flora and fauna, playful watercolors of animal characters, and illustrated typography. She is very interested in nature's subtle, gentle reciprocity and wild, tragic discord, and combines this inspiration with nostalgic colors, decorative arrangements of organic forms, and meticulous detail. Her clients have included Target, Papyrus, American Greetings, Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Disney Hyperion, Nike, Honda, Ford, Wired Magazine, and the Washington Post, with projects ranging from advertising and editorial to children's books, greeting cards, and textiles.

Originally from Chicago, Teagan now lives and works in Minnesota, where she received a BFA in illustration from the Minneapolis College of Art & Design in 2012. She spends her tiny amounts of free time following tangled animal paths through forest and field, squishing along reedy riverbanks, attempting to befriend gulls on rocky lakeshores, delighting in the routines of local bunnies and squirrels, picking wildflowers, and collecting animal bones