Family Divers Guest Artists
Kids Sea Camp is delighted to feature visits from famous and talented marine artists around the globe. The following artists have joined with Sea Camp to encourage children to express themselves and their love of marine life in constructive, creative ways.
Annie Crawley- www.diveintoyourimagination.com Yap, Palau, Bonaire and Grand Cayman
Annie AKA "OCEAN ANNIE" has become one of America’s leading ocean-environ educators. Founder of www.DiveIntoYourImagination.com, her company changes the way a new generation views the ocean. As an underwater cinematographer and educator, Annie has created a series of award winning books, DVDs, motivational art series and has become a Les Brown Platinum Speaker.
Originally from Chicago, Annie has spent the past two decades living and working around the world. Traveling from Indonesia to Galapagos, Belize to Papua New Guinea, Annie has explored and documented life on our planet! Inspired by the words of her Grandmother when she was 10 years old, "You have to travel when you are young kid because when you get to be my age, you can't climb the mountains!"
Currently based in Santa Barbara, California, Annie works as a producer, photographer and motivational speaker. Specializing in the underwater realm she utilizes her skills as an underwater cinematographer, scuba diving instructor and USCG 100 ton boat captain on many of her assignments. Annie’s work has been published and broadcast worldwide, and the goal of Dive Into Your Imagination is to be in every school around the world and giving the gift of the Ocean to all.
Guy Harvey- www.guyharveyoceanfoundation.org Grand Cayman
Guy Harvey is a unique blend of artist, scientist, diver, angler, conservationist and explorer, fiercely devoted to his family and his love of the sea. Growing up in Jamaica, Guy spent many hours fishing and diving with his father along the Island's south coast. He was obsessed with the creatures of the sea and began drawing pictures of the many different fish he observed.Guy’s artwork can be found in art exhibits, stores, galleries, restaurants and at fishing tournaments. He makes appearances at store openings as well as public appearances for a variety of environmental causes.
A passion for the beauty and wonder of the underwater world has driven Dr. Guy Harvey to be a leading conservationist and advocate for the protection of our environment. Guy dedicates much of his talent, time and resources to programs that protect our oceans, fish population and reef systems. The Guy Harvey Research Institute at Nova Southeastern University and The Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation have taken on a leadership role in providing the scientific information necessary to understand and protect the world’s fish resources and biodiversity from continued decline
Want to meet Guy Harvey? Join us in Grand Cayman for Thanksgiving and watch his fantastic G
rouper Moon presentation- Nov. 19-26, 2011.
Carlos Hiller- www.carloshiller.com Costa Rica
Carlos Hiller is an amazing marine artist who joins us each year in Costa Rica. Watch as he "wows" the crowd by performing and creating an original masterpiece right before our eyes. Painting in front of an audience is something that Carlos feels is really moving and we very much agree. A very special energy is created and his results are always amazing. Carlos paints in a display of color and energy and creates a beautiful piece in just minutes. Join us June 30-July 7, 2011 to see Carlos at work!
From blank canvas to masterpiece in minutes!
Margo Peyton:
Professional artist (Acrylic and ink),
photographer, Illistrator.
Woman Diver Hall of Fame
PADI Dive Instructor, Public speaker and presenter
Ocean educator
Margo began her diving career in 1989, then already a published artist above water began to paint and draw the world below. Margo was born to create and inspire others with her creations. She is a motivator, who not only pushes herself beyond average limitations, but encourages others to do the same. Her favorite quote is “ The only thing to fear is fear itself”. Margo has been painting and photographing as a world traveler for over 20 years. Her biggest joy is the children, she says “Kids dream big and they believe that those dreams can become a reality, that’s why they are so much fun to dive with and teach.”
She travels the world with families and loves to paint, draw, sketch and photograph all her experiences along the way. One of her long Time clients, Alan Davis refers to her as “The dream maker” Alan says “ Margo makes all our dreams a reality over and over again, we will keep traveling with her even when the kids are grown, because Margo makes us feel like big kids”.
Her Hart: Margo donates much of her work to her favorite charities: The American Cetation Society, Oceans For Youth, Ocean Pal’s Sea of Tomorrow, Woman Diver Hall of Fame training grants, Ocean wishes foundation, SQ rescue, Sea Sheppard’s, and many local island charities that benefit from auctioned art work at her Kids Sea Camp weeks. Margo contributes to many, Fund raisers for local School projects such as Dive Around the Clock and Dive Heart. Margo especially loves painting with children and teaching them photography basics.
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Tom Peyton: Art Director/ Director of photography/ Editor;
Tom Peyton became a diver when he met Margo in 2005, Tom’s background is incredible. He had a play be produced off Broadway, editor for Newspapers winning hundreds of National awards as Art Director, illustrator and now an editor. Tom has owned his own gallery as a talented acrylic painter, and continues today to turn out magnificent creations of nature and marine life on canvas for charities of Kids Sea Camp. Some of his prints are available in our online store. Tom has directed many creative workshops based on the book called the Artist’s Way. His work has been on display at the Ambassador Gallery in South Florida as well in Soho in NY City. Tom Peyton is a singer, song writer, and journalist. His love for life and nature shine through in his magnificent art.
In addition Tom has an amazing vocal talent, with two albums as lead singer of an acoustic rock band from South Florida. He has performed for Kids Sea Camp families in the Cayman Islands and Honduras and Fiji. Tom’s album can be heard or purchased on i-tunes under “Heart of The Rose”. Tom is currently a senior editor over photography and visuals at a newspaper. Tom loves to attend Kids Sea Camp where he can to sing, shoot photos, paint, sing and dive with his family and your.
Michele Westmoreland
Michele began her diving and underwater photography career in South Florida 16 years ago. She is now a resident of Mill Creek, Washington after moving to be with her photographer husband, Stuart. She travels the world to capture images of the wonderful ocean world along with topside travel photography. Michele has been published in many highly recognized publications such as Sport Diver and other international diving magazines, Islands, National Geographic Travel & Adventure magazines, Caribbean Travel & Life and Outside. She has won several awards for her imagery. Michele lectures for numerous organizations and is a tour specialist/photo pro to exotic locations.To capture her images, Michele uses Canon cameras and lenses in UK Germany housings and supported by Ikelite strobes. If you would like to see more of her and Stuart's work, visit www.westmorlandphoto.com.
David Dunleavy:
“It was my first major ‘inspiration’,” the well-known marine artist recalls. “Every summer I would be in the water or near the water.” Growing up near the Jersey Shore – fishing and spending time boating with family, his taste for all things aquatic would serve him well as he refined his artistic talents. His passion for wildlife inspired him to create many early pencil and watercolor fish and whitetail deer pieces that were the result of his exploring the Pennsylvania woods and the Jersey shore.
Unfortunately, Dunleavy wasn’t able to scuba dive until much later in life. “As a kid, I was diagnosed as someone who would never be able to dive because of inner ear problems.” Thankfully, that changed later on. In 1995, Dunleavy painted his first international Endangered Species Murals at Walker’s Cay Bahamas where he had the unique opportunity to overcome his physical challenges and enter the underwater world. Once he did, everything changed. “It took nearly two weeks to clear my ears, they hurt, but I forced myself to do it and I’m glad that I did.”
While at Walker’s Cay, David was introduced to sharks by well-known shark wrangler Gary Atkinson. But “introduced” might be too soft a word. David Dunleavy was thrust into the midst of the shark world – literally. “It was my first scuba diving experience,” he recalls. “They put me right in the middle of a shark rodeo with well over 120 sharks from bulls, black tips, spinners, nurse and Caribbean reef sharks. I remember being so close that I could hear the sharks breaking their teeth on the frozen chumcicle as they chewed it up”.
That inspiration has kept Dunleavy’s creative juices flowing for the last 16 years. He’s painted dozens of shark images including Shark Rodeo, Creature Feature, Feeding Inferno and Rincon. To many in the dive industry, Dunleavy’s sharks are “THE” artistic image of the endangered underwater predators.
“It pumps me up when I see a shark in the wild,” he reveals. “It’s a beautiful apex predator and when I’m near one, it takes me back to when I was five years old.” Dunleavy has no problem ‘capturing’ underwater images. He claims he has a ‘photographic’ memory.
“When I’m diving, it’s like I’m ‘videotaping in my mind’s eye to later go back to the studio to recreate all the beauty I see’,” he explains. “As I watch the variety of creatures, it’s like a constant painting unfolding in front of me. I can see what a future image is going to look like and that is what I reproduce when I paint.”
While he has traveled and dived all over the world, Dunleavy has a particular passion for Hawaii where he encountered sea turtles, sharks, whales and other creatures. “It’s where the ‘nature Gods’ are at their best,” is how he describes the islands. Dunleavy greatest dive to date was the Galapagos and his time on the Galapagos Aggressor. “Galapagos is an underwater Disney World and at one point we must have been surrounded by a thousand hammerheads, hundreds of silky sharks and several 40 foot whale sharks – a once in a lifetime experience.”
Dunleavy’s art carries a strong aquatic message – the world’s oceans are in danger. “The human race must work together to preserve it and we must change our course before it’s too late.” To that end, one of Dunleavy’s goals is to complete over 100 Endangered Species Murals worldwide by the year 2026.
To date Dunleavy has completed 57 monumental, life-sized and larger than life murals depicting whales, whale sharks, marlins, sea turtles, birds, bears and other marine wildlife. These “Endangered Species Murals” serve as a gateway to environmental learning and are helping reshape public awareness about preservation and conservation.
VIEW A SLIDESHOW OF DAVID’S IMAGES
His images have been immortalized on numerous limited edition art prints, products and most recently, the expanding David Dunleavy sportswear collection, which provides divers and non-divers alike an opportunity to own one of David’s artistic visions.
David Dunleavy and Jean-Michel Cousteau
As satisfying as it is to regularly capture and develop new artistic creations, Dunleavy is passionate about giving back to the community and providing a level of education to future generations. Dunleavy is in partnership with The Oceans For Youth Foundation and his children’s interactive arts program is active in teaching students to become aware and informed stewards with an appreciation for our ocean planet. “One of our missions is to pass on educational material to children as they are painting with me and teach them about positive solutions that could help protect our ocean planet for future generations,” he explains. “Through art, education, life size and larger than life public wall murals, we are able to spread my dream of a healthy ocean planet to millions worldwide.”
For more details about David Dunleavy and the David Dunleavy Collection, go to www.DavidDunleavy.com
