Yeah Baby

More than a decade ago, I painted a humpback whale breaching off the coast of New South Wales and called the painting Yeah Baby. I had been seeing so many whales from the beaches around Narrawallee that I felt compelled to paint them. That work marked the beginning of my move towards environmental subject matter and a growing concern for the protection of our oceans and marine life.

This resin and mica sculpture returns to the same subject more than ten years later, continuing a conversation that began with the original painting.

Whales remain a recurring presence in my work because they embody both wonder and vulnerability. Their immense presence inspires awe, yet their populations can be devastated by human activity. Through my paintings and sculptures, I hope to encourage a deeper appreciation of these extraordinary animals and the need for their protection.

Although inspired by a real humpback whale, Yeah Baby is not intended as a scientific illustration. I am interested in the emotional experience of encountering a whale: the sudden sense of awe when a creature of such immense size emerges from the sea. The sculpture captures that energy and exhilaration as the whale breaches between ocean and sky.

The humpback’s black and white forms have been part of my visual language for many years. In this sculpture, it feels as though the whale has stepped out of the canvas and into three dimensions.

I have always admired artists such as Brâncuși and Barbara Hepworth, who transformed natural forms into something elemental and timeless. My aim with Yeah Baby is not simply to depict a whale, but to evoke its presence.

For me, this work is both a celebration of one of the ocean’s most magnificent creatures and a reminder of our responsibility to protect the natural world that sustains us.

Artwork details

• Artist: Stephanie Fuller
• Title: Yeah Baby
• Medium: Resin and mica
• Dimensions: 47 × 30 × 27 cm
• Subject: Breaching humpback whale

For enquiries about this sculpture, email Stephanie at stephanie@stephaniefullerartist.co.uk.

© Stephanie Fuller (Burns)