"NATURE" International Juried Online Art Competition

Photographing the Horsehead Nebula is like reaching across time — its light has traveled over 1,300 years to meet my camera. A reminder that even in the farthest reaches of space, beauty endures.

Photography

“Then the Lord God placed the man (humans) in the garden of Eden (Earth) to cultivate it and guard it” Genesis 2:15 (GNB version)

This painting was influenced by the negative reaction of some climate change deniers of world leaders to the Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg’s speeches and other people who think that climate change activists are a nuisance that likes to disrupt the smooth running of their day-to-day lives with their activism. These Climate Change deniers may wish to put the climate change activists in a bottle, cork it and throw the bottle in the ocean so as not to hear the ranting of the climate change activists and continue their climate-destructive habits.

Oil on canvas

On an early morning walk, the clouds were heavy and the sky dim, when suddenly this brilliant ray of light broke through. It caught my eye and stopped me in my tracks — a reminder that even through the darkest clouds, light always finds its way. For me, it was nature’s quiet message of hope, renewal, and possibility at the start of a new day.

Photography

This painting is done to advocate caring for the planet and the future generation. One of the causes of climate change is deforestation. This painting advocates planting new trees to replace trees lost to deforestation. The pregnant woman in the painting was done in my usual style of roses and thorns; it is painted green to call for a green planet. The breast milk spilling on the ground is to nurture the withered plants back to life.

Oil on canvas

I wanted to paint this beautiful Hibiscus flower.  

Oil on paper

“When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” Isaiah 43:2 NLT

Sometimes in one’s life, it’s as if storms and waves of challenges come from every side. It often seems one will go down and swept away by the storms of life. In the Holy Bible, there are lots of encouraging words that gives one hope to persevere to ride the storms of life. 

I am using this painting to illustrate one of the encouraging verses from the Holy Bible- Isaiah 43 verse 2. At the background, I painted the face of Christ breaking through the turbulent cloud in the sky at the back of the main image. I painted an image of a woman on surfing board in my usual style of Roses and Thorns which is also a message of encouragement – As the roses blossom amid the thorns, one can survive the raging waves of life. 

I put two waves opposite each other to create a heart’s shape around the main image. This depicts that even in the storms of life one can sense the love of God.

Oil on Canvas

My inspiration was a gladiolus from my garden.

Photography

As an artist who originated from Nigeria, The abuse of nature which is an ecology disaster moved me to create this painting seeing the plight of my people from Niger Delta in Nigeria where oil pollution affects the lives and livelihood of the people. 

The people that live in the oil-rich part of the country are some of the poorest in the country. They live under the polluted air by thick smoke emitting from the burst oil pipe. The farmers could not farm the land because oil spillage ruined the land. The fishermen boats stationed idle at the bank of the oil-polluted river and in the foreground are the children fetching water and drinking water from the polluted river. 

Oil on canvas

 “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” 1 Timothy 6: 9-10

An unhealthy love of money is the root of all evil; everyone, great or small is vulnerable to succumb to the alluring of this bait. Money is often been used as bait to lure young people into a life of crime that may lead them to prison or to their early grave. Money is often been used as bait for the prevention of justice. Many great people fell from grace when they succumbed to this bait.

Oil on canvas

 This is a section of Reedy Creek that runs through Lake Wales State Forest Arbuckle Tract. It's a spot I love to visit for painting or just hiking. There's the gorgeous creek with white sand bluffs, scrubby trees and palmettos, and the potential to see pine lillies, wild blueberries, or maybe a FL Scrubjay. It's a beautiful place to get to know Florida's "ancient isles." 

Oil on canvas