This painting is a snapshot from the belly of the beast, of life in the jaws of heat. Urban sprawl jigsaws in between lush plant growth, crowding the shorelines in a fight for access to the water that provides little relief as tropical currents summon relentless sheets of bathtub-warm waves. Lifeforms everywhere will have to adapt to higher temperatures as the planet warms in the coming decades, and places like the coastal Puerto Vallarta outcropping depicted here will take up arms races with the tides as sea levels rise. Water’s role as both savior and enemy will become even more extreme in these parts of the world.

The original (pictured in last listing image) was painted with oil, acrylic and gouache on panel.

11"x14"