Joe Quinn: Underwater

My exhibit at the Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina opens January 14th and runs through April 21st. Artist reception is on Sunday January 24th from 1-3PM. For a quick preview: http://nypd123.wix.com/joe-quinn-underwater

Apparitions

Descending through the blue towards the looming dark mass that indicates the wreck of the former 200' dredge hopper known as the Hyde, apparitions can be seen gliding across the old steel decks as if haunting this oasis of life on an otherwise sandy bottom. Sunk intentionally as an artificial reef, it has become a magnet for life 18 miles off of the Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina coast. Every surface is coated in corals, anemones, bivalves and myriads of other clinging life forms. The headliners though are the sharks, lots of sharks. Toothy and lumbering sand tigers and sleek torpedo shaped sandbar sharks swim along the decks and sandy bottom, moving in and out the visibility. 

Few locations in the world offer interactions with these animals so reliably. As shark populations are being depleted globally by commercial long line fishing and the shark fin trade, the Hyde offers a glimpse into a healthy population of apex predators.

If one is very lucky, on occassion another vulnerable species, a close cousin of the sharks may appear. Flying through the water on giant graceful wings, Manta rays materialize from the edges of the visibility like phantoms come to play.

Curacao: Life on the Blue Edge

A short swim off of just about any beach on the Caribbean island of Curacao will put you on one of the greatest wonders in the world of scuba diving. Called the Blue Edge, it is the steep drop off into the blue that surrounds the island. Formed  by ancient volcanic action and sitting at the edge of the South American plate, a dizzying throng of life clings to the precipitous slope and creates an ecosystem that rivals most any other destination. Every inch is covered by corals, sponges, and anemones. 

Standing on a quiet Playa Largu beach, the Blue Edge is obvious from the dark line created by the plunging wall. Just below the surface a field of coral carpets the bottom as far as the eye can see in the 100'+ visibility.

From out of the blue barracuda, sea turtles and the occassional manta ray materialize. Spotted moray eels poke their heads out from crevices between corals. On the sandy plain at the very top edge of the wall, peacock flounder lie in ambush for tiny fish on which to feed.

Tiny life is everywhere. Pederson's cleaner shrimp live among the billowing tentacles of sea anemone'. Colonies of feather duster and brightly colored christmas tree worms bloom from coral and rock, while a plethora of other small invertebrates eke out a living along this beautiful seascape.

Like most other destinations of the western Atlantic and Caribbean, the waters around Curacao are experiencing the invasion of the beautiful but non-native lionfish. How much of an impact they will have on the islands natural ecology is still unknown. However, locals and restaurants have found that they taste good, and lionfish is showing up on menu's all over the island. Hopefully this will help to mitigate any long term affects their presence may cause. 

Diving Curacao's blue edge gives you the sense of diving the way it was years ago in so many of the destinations now inundated with diver's. Still largely undiscovered by the dive community, when entering from one of the quiet beaches that line the shores, chances are small that you'll see any other divers but your buddy. Get there soon though, because with diving this good the tribe won't be far behind.

Special thanks to our incredible guide Bas Hart of  Bas Hart's Diving. He can be contacted @  http://www.bashartsdiving.com/ 

The Ocean: Form and Light

 As light travels down through the ocean medium, color is quickly absorbed and dissipates, revealing the oceans natural state of form and movement. In black and white these elements come more sharply into focus. The many nuances so often camouflaged by artificial light meant to produce brilliant color now catch the eye's attention. The swaying of soft corals, the suspension of a jelly, and the glittering of scales among a school of fish expose the invisible movement of water and light. Predators hunt against an infinite liquid background, while their prey draws scatterred patterns on a dense gray canvas. In many ways black and white more perfectly captures the ocean environment, and emphasizes details otherwise lost when presented in full color.

AN OPEN LETTER TO CANADA

Dear Canada,

            Regretfully, I haven’t given you much thought lately. For the longest time now I guess I just thought of you as our big quiet neighbor to the north. Arrogantly even, a sort of extension of the United States, a really big fifty first state. When per chance you have materialized into my consciousness, visions of hockey, beer, Mountie’s on horseback, and forests filled with pelt bearing animals appeared. However, the events of the past week have changed all of that.

            The unfortunate attacks that took the lives of two of your most selfless and brave citizens, whether an act of terrorism or simply the results of deranged minds with a warped view of their religion, have taught the world and hopefully my own country in particular, a lesson in dignity, grace, and a deep commitment to freedom and democracy. As I watched the news reporting of these incidents I was struck by the absence of something. At first I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. But, as I watched the interviews with members of your parliament, your Prime Ministers address, and the words of your ordinary citizens on the street, I realized what it was. Nobody was calling for the building of walls, closing of borders, or the dropping of bombs. Absent too were the blaming, name calling, and the questioning of patriotism for political gain. No one was calling for the curtailing of civil liberties, but instead pointed to liberty as a critical foundation that would not be tampered with or allowed to be weakened by acts of madness. I saw no politician’s grand standing for political gain or pointing fingers at them or those people. Hopefully this will stay the course and not descend into the polarizing atmosphere of paranoia present in my own United States of America.

            You have taught the world a lesson Canada, and you have reminded us all of the greatness and freedom so valued on this continent. I will think of you more often now. I will think of the similar roads we have travelled through the centuries, and the great allies we have been. I will think of the example you have set, and of how a free and democratic nation should respond to those who would seek to destroy it. Thank you Canada.

Warmest Regards,

Joe Quinn

Citizen of the United States of America

Wetlands Considered

There is a place, a boundary really. It's a transitional environment between the land and the ocean, freshwater and salt. Like a thin ribbon running along an abrupt coastline, it provides protection for both. It is a nursery for fish before heading out to a life at sea, as well as a nesting area and respite for migratory and endangered shore and sea birds. 

For some, it is the singular environment in which they can thrive. Still for others, it is their last stand against extinction.

Coastal Wetlands provide protection to the land from ocean storms, while protecting the sea and filtering the run off from the activities of man, at its own peril. The encroachment into, and the draining of these sensitive habitats further endangers the already strained balance between land and sea.

 

While drawn to its solitude and beauty, we must remind ourselves of its sensitivity and importance to the wider health of the world around us, and indeed ourselves.