In Our Hands
Hey Everyone! In the middle of June I was asked to contribute a piece to the Texas Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities for their National Disability Employment Awareness Month poster art competition. I thought that would be cool…but it was due by July 26th! I had only five weeks to complete something! But I did it. I completed it, submitted it, and was just informed it won 1st place! Whoa!
My painting is titled, “In Our Hands” and represents this year's theme, “America’s Recovery: Powered by Inclusion.” Stemming from my former desire to be a marine biologist, my inspiration for this painting was about the dynamics involved in a beautiful healthy coral reef, such as the Flower Gardens we have in the Gulf, as to how we humans need to work together on land. Just like in our lives, it takes the interaction of many diverse living things that come in a multitude of colors ... all sizes, shapes, and functions to enable the whole community to be successful and continue to thrive.
It’s interesting to note that some of the tiniest organisms, the plankton - the producers - most of which lack a means of movement, are the foundation that supports the entire reef, the ocean, even the global ecosystem by producing food and oxygen. All of the millions of tiny coral polyps that lack sensory perception, besides filtering and cleaning the water, are also the builders, designers and construction engineers of the reefs. All of the crustaceans, tiny fish and even bacteria that pick up and clean any detritus that falls to the ocean floor are the sanitation engineers. Some have a mutual relationship and take care of each other while providing protection. It takes more than just the big consumers to keep everything in working order. It takes everyone, all included, big and small on every level.
In the same way, every single person (or living thing) needs a special purpose under heaven, a unique niche to fit into which we each belong, where we can each contribute our unique skills and natural talents and in return have our needs met. It is imperative that we include and utilize the skills of each precious person at any ability level in order to reach a balanced give and take. The vitality of any environment, any community, country, or even the whole world relies on this equilibrium.
Can you find these things in the painting? Cannonball Jellyfish, Green Sea Turtle, zebra seahorse, crinoids, sea urchins, sea anemones, starfish, blue crab, Spotted Garden Eels, clown fish, spotted Moray Eel, all kinds of coral: Elkhorn, brain, feather star, leaf, table, branching and encrusting corals, sponges: pink / blue vase, tube, and red rope sponges, an octopus, several types of tropical fish. A mermaid’s tail? And...there is actually the shape of a hand supporting the reef. This painting is now listed for sale https://www.kathynahatla-artist.com/originals/p/in-our-hands and is also available as a print, https://www.kathynahatla-artist.com/prints/p/in-our-hands-print .