Aly Hutchinson - 2021

Artist's Statement

Since I can remember, I have always loved the ocean, my family has had an eternal love for the ocean, and we're always longing to go back to it. Growing up on the Oregon coast and visiting family on the island of Hawaii, I've gained significant appreciation and inspiration from the ocean and all its characteristics. From the thousands of living species within its ecosystem to how fast the waves can go from calm to treacherous within seconds as the weather changes. While the oceans make up most of the world's wonders, they have been treated very disrespectfully. We have already lost massive amounts of coral reefs and species as we continue to push the limits of this ecosystem. Our plastics and garbage have been piling up in our oceans, creating the Great Pacific garbage patch in the central North Pacific Ocean. For my project, I wanted to show how easy it is to recycle our plastic products and garbage into something completely new and creative instead of just throwing them away. I chose to create one of my favorite Hawaiian fish called the Uhu fish or parrotfish because I love its vibrant colors and scales. The process that went into making this fish was simple. I gathered a handful of plastic shopping bags we got from the store, an empty plastic shampoo bottle, colorful plastic straws, some tape and saran wrap, and a small plastic bottle cap. It was a challenge to get into the perfect shape, but I think it ended up looking pretty similar to the real thing after adding some paint. I had left the backside unpainted to see what items were used and how I put them together.