Carrie Adamson-Riefler

Today I carried a small copper plate down into the depths of the Great Barrier Reef.

I taped it to my dive slate, descended into the blue, and made the first sketch of what will become a new body of work.

The Reef was breathtaking!
A few of the best sights were a giant clam, a pair of clownfish weaving through their soft forest of anemones and a little remora that decided to become our companion, gliding under us throughout the whole dive.

This is how my painting begins, in the ocean itself.
As saltwater touches the copper and quick Sketch lines made underwater.

I’ll finish the piece in the studio… but its first breath was taken here.

Great Barrier Reef, Australia.
Where art and ocean meet.

The moment before descending into the reef.

Coffee in hand.
Gear lined up on the deck.
Salt air moving across the Coral Sea.

Today we headed out with Passions of Paradise, one of the boats that takes divers out to the outer Great Barrier Reef.

Standing on the deck, looking out at that endless turquoise water, I kept thinking about what was waiting beneath the surface.

Giant clams.
Anemones.
Clownfish.
And a reef older than human civilization.

Somewhere down there I would take my first underwater sketch on copper — the beginning of a new piece of art.

But first comes this moment…
The quiet anticipation before the giant stride.

Next post: what we found below the surface. 🌊

Rainforest. Waterfalls. A train through the jungle. 🚂🌿

Today we rode the historic Kuranda Scenic Railway above Barron Falls and through one of the oldest rainforests on Earth.

Australia just keeps getting more magical.