Destroying My Art

Just before the opening night of Coral, Kelp & Creatures, someone 'ruined' one of the artworks, and it changed the face of not only that painting, but also the evening altogether. 

While my paintings were in transit to London, a stranger became a little too curious and touched Electric Tide while the oils were still wet, leaving three finger marks across the marlin’s face. 

I could have been heartbroken. Each of these artworks represents not only hours of work on canvas, but years of learning how to take what I see in the world and how I feel about making a positive change, and reframe this in a form that I find beautiful.

I have always been captivated by marlins, and I wanted this painting to convey the thrill I felt as a child, seeing flashes of silver and electric blue cutting through the surface far off the coast of Dar es Salaam. For me, marlins showcase the beauty that exists when nature is allowed to move the way it is meant to. 

Somebody had imposed themselves upon that beauty, placing a three-line pause in the marlin's movement. 

Instead of feeling upset, I was struck by the power of this metaphor. 

As humans, we interfere too much with the natural world, and through carelessness or arrogance, we leave wounds in our wake. Yet although we are so often the cause of the damage, we are also the ones with the power to repair it. We are both the problem and the solution.

So, during the opening, I invited guests to watch me restore the painting, to "heal" the marlin. Instead, a passionate debate erupted across the room. Should the marks really be removed? 

We took a vote, and then a young boy, just ten years old, raised his hand. He said he hoped I wouldn’t fix it, because the damage should stay as a message to the world. His words changed the room. It was one of the most powerful and emotional moments of the evening - a child speaking for the future we are trying to protect.

What began as a painting based on my childhood memories became a conversation about responsibility and hope. Perhaps that is exactly what art is meant to do - to remind us, to challenge us, and to move us toward something better. 

And to ensure we don't forget the mistakes we have made, so that we can continue to learn from them.

But I'd love to know... do you think we made the right decision? Would you have fixed the painting or left it as is?