Nia • 15 • Meath

12-15 Category   •  2026
My final piece reflects on how endangered creatures under the sea are. I created this piece to show the foolishness of humans, leaving these fish tricked. I want to explain how these fish do not understand what is happening to their natural habitats. I want the viewer to feel a connection with these fish, to understand their natural surroundings and how it is slowly disappearing. My final piece is done in a dreamy atmosphere to show that the fish are hallucinated by what they see. The handprints at the bottom of my piece reflect how their environment is manmade. Every time I go to the beach there is always a pile of trash, a pile of plastic, paper, cans, and bottles. I disliked how normalised it was and wanted to create a piece showing my care towards these beautiful creatures. I did a mixture of linocut printing, oil pastels, acrylic and watercolour, to enhance these ideas. The variety in materials emphasises how vast the ocean really is, how every place is different. My artwork depicts a fish through lino to explore texture and movement. The different patterns on the fish emphasise the shimmering patterns on fish and the fluidity of water. The fish are red in colour, to show that they are the “target.” The bright colour also captures the viewers’ attention at once through contrast and emphasis because of how different they are. Line is used a lot in this piece. The curved lines of the swirl show how everything is like a dream for fish. The distinct lines from the linocut fish looks unusual on top of this dreamy atmosphere. Movement can also be seen. The fish are moving in this straight box-like shape while the swirl is constant. The waves at the corners further show their environment. I want viewers to appreciate the beauty and life of underwater creatures.