Underwater Mangrove Habitat

Original artwork painted with acrylics.

There are so many reasons why I chose to painting Mangroves, but with this artwork I was focussed on how Mangrove forests provide a sustainable habitat for sharks, a multitude of fish, shellfish and crustaceans many other species of marine life. We are so very lucky to have these natural ecosystems right here in Australia.

Did you know although mangroves make up less than one per cent of all tropical forests around the world, but they play a critical role in mitigating climate change. Mangrove soils are highly effective carbon sinks. Locking away large quantities of carbon and stopping it from entering our atmosphere.

In certain parts of the world the mangroves stand strong and the water is clear blue, just like this artwork. Yes, I chose to add a hermit crab which are usually land dwellers but that's the quirks of paintings, create what you want to.

All edges are painted with the flow of the background colours. It's ready to hang with d-rings and wire.

Some more interesting facts for those that want to read more:
Mangrove forests stabilise the coastline by reducing erosion caused by storm surges, currents, waves and tides. They protect water quality by removing nutrients and pollutants from stormwater runoff before they reach seagrass habitats and coral reefs.
Mangrove peat absorbs water during heavy rains and storm surge, reducing the chances of coastal flooding.
Mangrove systems provide shelter to a wide range of wildlife species.
Mangroves serve as nesting areas for lots of birds. Many birds depend on mangroves for part of their seasonal migrations. Even dead mangroves play an important role, providing roosting areas for bird species.

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Andrea is an award winning, International selling artist. Many of her artworks have travelled around the globe with sales throughout Australia, USA, Canada, Germany, UK and lots of other places in Europe.
After leaving high school she attended College and University for visual art and design, understanding different techniques and studying the history of the Masters. Over the years she has painted murals in restaurants and kids bedrooms, designed and created artworks to decorate office spaces in Sydney and Melbourne, and also had 8 paintings published in National and International magazines.

In 2015 Andrea cast aside her current career in Sales and Marketing to focus on her ever growing enthusiasm and true love; visual arts. “In my early childhood years my favourite past time was to paint or draw, I absolutely loved it. Back then I always had the desire that my future career was to be a full-time visual artist and now I have finally made that dream a reality. To me it really doesn’t matter what the subject is, what matters is with each brush stroke, that is when I have the most serene moments in life.”

Andrea sees inspiration all around her and her list is always expanding. But most of her artworks are centred around of her love and appreciation for nature, birds, insects, animals and plants.
With nature she’s instantly drawn into the colours, textures and patterns. She then paints it as she envisage it through abstracts.
With birds, insects, animals, plants and the occasional landscape she applies traditional fine art, carefully measuring and mapping out the artwork to make sure the perspective and ratios are correct. Mixing colours to match and understanding the direction of the light.
Andrea also creates figurative surreal artworks where her vision is to connect humanity more with nature in one artwork. Here she starts with a mood board and plays around with colour combinations before mapping it out on canvas. “I see beauty all around me in nature and understand there is a purpose to every living organism. The human connection, care and respect for these is vital to the survival of mankind.”