ASOC
And the adult winners are…
Yasue Kobe
King Penguins Feel the Heat
“Penguins and the Antarctic hold profound significance for me due to their extraordinary resilience in one of Earth’s most challenging environments. They embody nature’s adaptability and our planet’s intricate web of life. Additionally, I’m drawn to their endearing and often humorous antics, which add a delightful charm to their character.
Moreover, the Antarctic is crucial in regulating global climate and biodiversity. Its vast ice sheets influence temperature patterns and sea levels worldwide, making it indispensable for maintaining ecological balance. As a sentinel for climate change, the Antarctic highlights the urgent need for conservation efforts to protect these vital ecosystems.
The Antarctic represents untamed wilderness and boundless adventure, sparking a sense of wonder and awe. Preserving these pristine landscapes is essential for the health of our planet and for the well-being of future generations.
In this piece, titled “King Penguins Feel the Heat,” I employed oil paints on canvas to convey a powerful message about the impact of global warming on the Antarctic ecosystem. The red hues symbolise the Earth’s magma and heat, while the blue tones represent the vulnerable glaciers threatened by rising temperatures.
The artwork’s focal point is a pair of king penguins, their expressions reflecting surprise and bewilderment as they confront the environmental shifts around them. This scene is inspired by my transformative expedition to Antarctica, the Falkland Islands, and South Georgia Island from December 2023 to January 2024.
During my time in South Georgia, I spent hours observing and documenting the behaviours of the king penguins, particularly in Fortuna Bay, where they tirelessly tended to their offspring amidst challenging conditions. This firsthand experience deeply motivated me to translate their plight into art.
Back home, I sifted through hundreds of photographs and notes taken during my expedition, using them as references to capture the essence of the penguins’ struggle against climate change. I opted for bold colours to emphasise the message’s urgency, aiming to evoke empathy and raise awareness about the challenges these majestic creatures endure.
“King Penguins Confront Climate Change” marks the beginning of a series of paintings dedicated to shedding light on the threats faced by penguins and their habitats. These paintings testify to their resilience and the urgent need for conservation efforts.”
Allison Wellington
Mawson Love
“The inquisitiveness of the penguins and their lack of fear of us was mesmerising. Could have sat and watched them endlessly.
The majestic emperor penguins at Mawson station Antarctica inspired me to paint this pair, I love Mawson I loved the emperors.”
Paulina Uribe
Looking at horizon
“Humboldt Penguin is a very vulnerable and at risk species from the Southern Pacific coasts, in particular, I was inspired in the observation of this pair from the decreasing population living in the “Isla de Damas”, in the Humboldt Archipielago, Northern coast of Chile, threatened by the big mining activities and industrial in this country. My aim is to represent their features and vulnerability in figures and spread the awareness about them.
Two Humboldt (Spheniscus humboldti) penguins looking at the horizon. Real size sculptures were hand made in natural wool, by using Needle Felting technique.”
Heidi Lots
Cuddling time for emperor penguin
“I’m from Argentina but living in Europe. My bridge to my roots is painting. And the way I choose for that is by sharing with the world our Argentinean birds. Antarctica is part of it.
The emperor penguin (Aptenodytes Fosteri) is the largest species of penguin (100 to 130 cm tall). Its way of life is very admirable. Emperor penguins migrate up to 200 kilometres inland to mate, and the male is responsible for incubating the eggs. To do this, he places it on his feet, covers it with his belly fold and carries it in front of him. The young have until the Arctic summer in January to fledge. In the beginning, the males take over the feeding until the females return with about 3kg of predigested fish and take over. Survival under winter living conditions in the interior is a true miracle of nature and should be remembered with this watercolour.”
Caroline Griffin
Preg-uin Family Portrait
“It’s so beautiful how ferociously penguin parents love and protect their babies. They’ll do anything to feed and shelter the next generation, but they can’t do it alone!
At 39 weeks pregnant, I couldn’t resist turning my belly into a canvas for the World Penguin Day art contest! :)”
Erica Hazen
Gentoo penguin friends
“Antarctica penguins and krill need care & protection in their beautiful Polar environment. Gentoo, chinstrap, adelie, king, rockhopper and macaroni penguins are some of these special and wonderful penguin species. I hope Polar watercolour art can bring awareness, protection & joy for Antarctica & it’s incredible wildlife. Thanks so much 💚🐧
I have visited Antarctica three times and this Penguin watercolour reminds me of the beauty of the gentoo penguins and how they need to be protected. They are holding their wings together to support each other in this watercolour. What a special and magical place Antarctica is and the penguins that live there. 🐧 ♥️”
And the kid winners are…
Cora Gregory, age 9
“An ‘ice’ place to call home”
“I have been in interested in penguins since I went to the naming of the RRS Sir David Attenborough when I was 5 years old with my Mum and Dad. There was an exhibition there called Ice Worlds by the British Antarctica Survey where you could do lots of fun and exciting things! This is where I learned a lot about the Arctic and Antarctic and polar exploration and learning about them has been one of my favourite things to do since then.
When I think of penguins, I immediately think of ice! The Antarctic is a huge ice landscape and penguins have adapted well to survive in it. But Emperor Penguins are in danger because sea ice is reducing due to warmer oceans. I wanted to use my art submission to help make more people aware of this.
I began by mark-making – exploring the different marks objects left on paper, trying to find marks that looked like melting ice. I didn’t know at first exactly how I wanted my finished picture to look, but when I discovered some great shapes, it gave me the idea for my final design.
I decided to use marks representing ice – both melting and crystal formations – to form icebergs in the background and also on the penguins themselves to make my picture more interesting.
I used a variety of kitchen utensils mostly but also printed with bubble wrap which represents the bubbles within ice and water. I scrunched up white paper then flattened it out so that the ice the penguins are standing on has texture. I used colours you see I’ve made from like blues, not just white. I used black watercolour pencils to complete the penguins because ice is made from water. I decided on a yellow sunset sky which I tried to make more realistic by reflecting the same yellow light off the icebergs.
I hope you like my piece of art and my explanation of how I made it.”
Annabella Gibbons, age 14
Free to Be a Penguin
“The Antarctic houses a diverse ecosystem of animals who can survive in one of the wildest climates on earth. When we protect this ecosystem, we preserve these species’ richness for future generations, we keep the earth from the floods that will occur if the polar ice caps melt, and we protect the habitat of the whimsical, cheery, iconic penguin. After all, who can imagine life without penguins?
I first used very watered-down watercolor that I dripped onto the paper, then blew it in different directions. I also added other color splatters, and a watercolor ice sheet. I then added a Chinstrap Penguin diving into the water in acrylic paint. The contrast of the black and white stands out against the colorful background, and the painting is meant to invoke a sense of freedom, celebration, and exhilaration.”
Sydney Chow, age 11
Penguins Lining Up To Jump Off An Iceberg
“Penguins are important because their habitats in Antarctica are melting and they will become endangered, and also because they’re cute!
Pencil crayon and fine lining in black marker on purple construction paper were the mediums used.
I was inspired by how penguins also know how to line up to jump into the water.”
Adult competition
Honorable Mentions
Carolyn Wawrzynowski
Duncan the African Penguin
“Penguins are important to me because they have a special place in my heart. Not only are they unique and interesting animals but they are adorable. They hold a special place in my heart as well because my first ever zoo job allowed me to work with African penguins and be a part of the Species Survival Plan. There, I was able to be a part of the process of hand raising one of the chicks that hatched while I was working there and it was a truly enlightening experience.
This watercolor painting is of Duncan, one of the African penguins that resides at Caldwell zoo. I worked with him for quite a bit at my first zoo job.”
Diane Pavat
The story of the penguin family
“I am a seabird ecologist and will start a PhD in October on southern rockhopper penguin. I find penguins an incredible seabird group with an adaptation through evolution that is fascinating. They are also endangered species due to our impacts on the planet and deserve protection. And I believe that communicating about them will help people understand their importance in the world.
This watercolour painting represents all the penguin species present in the world. It was made over a month and was inspired from a poster found online. Everything was made by hand from the sketching to the painting with gouache and watercolour.”
Madhumita Sen
Sunset Symphony
“Penguins are beautiful and highly adaptable creatures who live a happy life in harsh winter conditions. They can navigate through adverse climate conditions and play a crucial role in the marine ecosystem which maintains balance within the food web. These charismatic birds also exhibit love and affection to their families. Owing to global warming, pollution, overfishing and loss of habitat, they are classified as endangered. We have a moral and ethical responsibility to preserve the species and help them thrive on our planet.
This painting was done with acrylic paints on a stretched canvas. The texture of the paint adds depth and dimensions to the landscape. The soft diffused light through the clouds depicts the warm hues of sunset. The painting shows a loving family of penguins enjoying a cozy moment of togetherness.”
Catharina Dümmen
Geborgenheit
“I have loved penguins my entire life from the moment I watched a documentary about them with my parents. I liked how cute they were waddling and I was fascinated especially by the emperor penguin and their living conditions. That they have such a long journey from the colony to the sea and that the male penguins care so much about their new little family member that they are not eating for months while incubating the egg.
The picture is named after a german word “Geborgenheit”, which means something like comfort or a warmth you feel when you are with your loved ones. The first step with this peace was doing the initial sketch. For this I directly start with a fineliner and I kinda like that the little imperfections I make along the way will be there in the end. Then I used my watercolor set to paint the picture. My favorite part is the color mixing, when I have to find out which color I have to add to come close to the original subject. And I also love to see the picture come to life :)”
Naomi Bergersen
Two Emperors in the ice
“Penguins are beautiful and such charismatic birds. They’re such individuals even though they look so similar. The devotion the emperor penguins show to their young is astonishing. The Antarctic is a special place because of its isolation and it’s importance in regulating climate all over the world… we have to care for Antarctica to care for the whole planet.
A digital drawing of two emperor penguins. This drawing was done using Freeform app and finger drawn… I like the challenge of working in this digital space on a small phone.”
Timandra Dyer
practicing penguins: the penguins think I need more practice
“I love, always have loved penguins and would love to visit Antarctica some day to see them where they belong (and not in zoos etc), I fear for their future and that makes me sad.
I’m trying to teach myself water colour sketching and dream of being able to paint properly polar bears and penguins, I’d painted a polar bear the previous day and it was the penguins turn to stand for me whilst I practiced sketching and water colouring them (which was tricky with the little one)”
