Yeah Baby
Yeah Baby
Mixed Media, Resin and Mica
More than a decade ago I painted a humpback whale breaching off the coast of New South Wales and called the painting Yeah Baby. At the time 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 sculpture returns to the same subject more than ten years later.
Whales have remained a recurring presence in my work because they embody both wonder and vulnerability. They are among the oldest living creatures on our planet, 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 and age emerges from the sea. The sculpture attempts to capture that moment of energy and exhilaration as the whale breaches between ocean and sky.
As I worked on this piece, I became aware that it felt less like creating a new subject and more like continuing a conversation that began with the original painting. The black and white forms of the humpback have been part of my visual language for many years. In a sense, this sculpture feels as though the whale has stepped out of the canvas and into three dimensions.
The history of art is filled with animals that carry meanings beyond their physical form. 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 similar: not simply to depict a whale, but to evoke its presence.
For me, Yeah Baby 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.
© Stephanie Fuller (Burns)