Kemps Ridley Turtle

Here is a quick study I did for a larger painting. This one is 11x15 and I did it to work with colors and position of the turtle. When I paint the final painting, I will make some slight adjustments I believe, but it will be close to this study. I love that our area collects eggs, hatches the turtles and then releases them within 24 hours after hatching so that the turtle has an imprint of the beach on Padre Island. It is even more precious now that the Gulf has been poisoned by the oil spill. So much wildlife has been killed. So many turtles have died. The Kemps Ridley turtle is the most endangered sea turtle in the world. The brown pelican was recently taken off of the endangered species list. I have to wonder if it will now rejoin the Kemps Ridley turtle.