Artists
Leighton Blackwell is a painter from Newport Oregon. His work concentrates on sea life and every aspect of his art exudes the natural beauty of the ocean. Leighton often uses found materials from boat yards as his canvas and paints his images from actual objects or creatures. This gives his paintings an authentic and lively feel. His work is textural and grounded in reality which connects the viewer to the ocean and makes these oceanic beings tangible. Leighton often works in the Japanese Gyotaku method of applying ink to a physical fish and then making an impression of the fish on the canvas. Even when not using this technique his paintings are reminiscent of the Gyotaku method and have a feeling of connectivity to the life that they represent.
Carol Lynne's deep passion for the ocean is reflected in her unique tribal style of marine art. The more you look the more you see. Upon closer examination you will find that each image actually consists of many sea creatures and tribal symbols carefully woven together to make a whole.
Carol's ever increasing, intense fascination with the ocean grew while attending college on the coast of Northern California. After graduating from Humboldt State University she got a job bringing a boat from San Francisco to Southeast Alaska and back. On her next ocean adventure she helped sail a boat from Guatemala to the Bay Islands of Honduras. Carol moved back to Northern California and got a job living aboard and restoring the wood on a 58 foot trimaran. That is where her style of art was born. Influenced by her travels and Pacific North Coast Indian art, Carol now spent her free time drawing tribal style sea life. She worked a season commercial crab fishing then decided it was time to relocate to warmer waters, moving to Kona, Hawaii in 1997.
Living in Hawaii provides constant inspiration for Carol's art work. She presently works on a sport fishing boat with her life partner and fishing legend, Capt. Marlin Parker aboard the Marlin Magic II. Spending countless hours on or in the water, Carol is a fisherman, open ocean swimmer and avid free diver, know locally as 'The Mermaid'. She has had numerous encounters with dolphins, turtles, rays, sharks, and whales....becoming one with the ocean and all it's creatures.
A predominantly self- taught artist Carol's style has continued to evolve since it's beginning in the early 1990's. Each piece is carefully hand drawn and takes an average of 100 plus hours to complete. She has been commissioned by fine art collectors, designed logos, t-shirts, tattoos, boat signs, and has even been commissioned to 'tribalize' a 150 lb blue marlin mount as well as a 50 lb swordfish mount. Carol's creative marine life art allows her to express her deep passion for the ocean and her belief that all life forms are connected.
Nick Ingram was born and raised in San Jose, California. From a young age he had a love of the outdoors and a strong passion for fishing, which he still carries today. He has caught over 120 species of fish from salt and freshwater and enjoys both fly and conventional angling. His love of fish and fishing lead him to a degree in fisheries biology with an emphasis in marine fisheries. After graduating from Humboldt State University he spent several years working as a field biologist for the international Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC.) Currently Nick lives in Santa Cruz, California where he works as a marine science educator for NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. When he is not educating the public about the ocean, you will usually find him fishing, kayaking, diving, or hiking. Nick's passion for the ocean and the outdoors also inspires his art and he has always enjoyed drawing fish and other marine life. Recently he has taken an interest in digital art and does freelance graphic design and illustration work on the side.