IMAGE OF THE WEEK: Keep it Clean and Cycle On | Son of the Morning Light.: Conservation art on Leyn Baan Street in the Galle Fort, shot with a Canon EOS 600D and EF-S 18-200mm lens at 18mm, 1/8, f/3.5, and ISO 100.

The above mural is by Simon Blackfoot and  one of a series with Rah Akaishi. Read more about the Moral in the Mural in Conversation with Smriti Daniel here.

“On Layn Baan St in Galle Fort, two exquisitely melancholy sea monsters are separated by a rusty gate. Stricken by grief, one wears a tower for a hat, the other towers above the lighthouse, rising above the fort with a ship bleeding oil cradled in its thin, long arms. The black ooze around their waists makes it clear these, intricately patterned creatures are fugitives of a man-made disaster. Artists Rah Akaishi (New Zealand) and Simon Blackfoot (Canada) painted them together – a response to the oil slick the bulk freighter Thermopylae Sierra left behind when it sank off the west coast in 2012.”

“A dedicated surfer, Rah says Sri Lanka has been pure inspiration: “I’m inspired by so much here visually also, the colourful religious imagery, folk arts and crafts, the architecture, land, seascapes, animals and people.” He’s designed for skateboards, apparel prints, tattoos, logos, posters, stickers and editorial illustrations and his work is rich with environmental themes and often incorporates wonderfully detailed animal motifs. A volunteer creative director for PangeaSeed, Rah says he uses art and design to educate, raise awareness and funds for the protection of sharks and preservation of their habitats.”

Read on with   Smriti Daniel