One day he took me and my sister to Marineland of the Pacific, a magical oceanarium in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. My six-year-old imagination ran wild. I saw sharks, dolphins, fish, glowing neon blobs, and alien-looking sea creatures I never knew existed.
There I met Bubbles, a female short-finned pilot whale. Seeing Bubbles leap from the water in a shimmering display of acrobatics blew my mind. She was so beautiful. That moment, seared in my heart, ignited a lifelong passion for the ocean.
I visited Bubbles year after year. She always brought joy to the guests. Children laughed, parents gasped, and everyone got soaked. I took way too many pictures.
The ocean covers 71 percent of Earth’s surface and is home to millions of marine species ranging from microscopic bacteria to massive fauna, many of which are on the brink of extinction. Most of us experience marine creatures at facilities like Birch Aquarium at Scripps, and Aquarium of the Pacific.
I created this immersive art experience to celebrate fauna of the deep by reimagining my favorite wet friends via abstract design, extrasensory dimension, and childlike imagination. Deep pays homage to Bubbles and her oceanic legacy, through a pop art lens. Marineland closed forever in 1987. Bubbles died in 2016. Art lives forever.
A portion Deep sales will be donated to Birch Aquarium at Scripps & Aquarium of the Pacific.
To inquire about purchasing Deep artwork please contact us gallery@taggallery.net 323.297.3061
The artist Sküt (Scott Lewallen) stands between two Hawaiian Triggerfish and a pop art sculpture replica of Bubbles the pilot whale.
About the Artist: Sküt the artist (Scott Lewallen) is best known as Co-Founder and original designer of Grindr. He currently sits on the Birch Aquarium Revitalization Advisory Board, part of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, San Diego, California.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Sküt graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Southern California. Sküt will donate a portion of Deep sales to support the Birch Aquarium at Scripps San Diego, and Aquarium of Pacific in Long Beach, California, two conservation facilities he visits and dearly loves.
A proud member of the gay community, Sküt currently works and resides in West Hollywood. You can contact Sküt on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @inkedbyskut.
Bubbles Breach
Up-cycled Armature, Fine Clay, Acrylic, Mixed Media, High Gloss, Phosphorescent Backdrop, Pedestal. 16 x 20 x 70
Short-Finned Pilot Whale
Globicephala macrorhynchus
Bubbles Breach is a small-scale abstract pop art replica of the entrance statue to Marineland of the Pacific in Rancho Palos Verdes (now Terranea Resort).
Bubbles was an ambassador for the ocean, educating guests until her passing in 2016 at SeaWorld San Diego. Fifty years is a good run. We miss you, old girl.
This modern interpretation of the legendary monolith is homage to Bubbles and all of her marine brethren, inspiring countless generations of humans to pursue passions related to the Ocean.
Triggered
Digital, Acrylic, Mixed Media, High Gloss, Phosphorescent Element, Canvas. 20 x 20
Reef & Lagoon Picasso Triggerfish
Rhinecanthus rectangulus, Rhinecanthus aculeatus.
Humu humu nuku nuku apua'a is the Hawaiian name for two species of triggerfish, the state fish of Hawaii.
Also known as Picasso, this Triggerfish has a surreal painted quality and equally quirky personality.
The humu trigger comes in two flavors, Reef and Lagoon, respectively, both cherished in Hawaii.
Dueling portraits of this beloved fish come alive with vibrant colors, moody drips, and phosphorescent eyeballs.
Clownfish Alley
Digital, Acrylic, Mixed Media, High Gloss, Phosphorescent Element, Canvas. 12 x 12
Clownfish
ephippium, polymnus, latezonatus, clarkii, frenatus, perideraion, sandaracinos, percula, sebae, mccullochi, biaculeatus, ocellaris.
Twelve separate species, each with distinct personalities.
Welcome to clownfish alley, a motley assortment assertive little damsels.
Who is your favorite, and why?
Ghost of the Vaquita
Mixed Media, Thermal Polymer, Acrylic, Spray Paint, PLA, High Gloss, Phosphorescent Element, Canvas. 36 x 48
Vaquita
Phocoena sinus.
A mother vaquita longs for her child, illuminate by the sun rays filtering through the Sea of Cortez, choked by the tendrils of a totoaba gill net.
Which one was she? How many are left? Is it too late?
She lives on, in memory and motive.
100% of proceeds from sales of the Vaquita artwork will be donated to Sea Shepherd
on behalf of Sküt to benefit the “Saving the Vaquita Porpoise” campaign.*
Vaquitita
Up-cycled Armature from Recycled Cans, Fine Clay, Acrylic, Mixed Media, High Gloss, Phosphorescent Element, Pedestal.
18x18x50
Vaquita
Phocoena sinus.
A young vaquita searches for his mother.
She shouldn’t be long… just a moment… foraging for food.
The shudder of the rudder, a maze of gill nets. Am I alone? Will I survive?
Please watch Sea of Shadows by Richard Ladkani to learn more about the plight of this incredible little dolphin.
Jazzy Jellies
Up-cycled Armature, Fine Clay, Acrylic, Mixed Media, High Gloss, Phosphorescent Element, Pedestal.
Red Sea Nettle. Moon Jellyfish.
Chrysaora quinquecirrha. Aurelia aurita.
Functional art that glows with the show. These two hanging jellyfish sculpture lamps come complete with tentacles and a slowly pulsing blue light.
Sting yourself.
Tiburones
Digital, Acrylic, Mixed Media, High Gloss, Phosphorescent Element, Canvas. 16 x 20
Bull Shark
Oceanic Whitetip Shark
Shortfin Mako Shark
Tiger Shark
Carcharhinus leucas, Carcharhinus longimanus, Isurus oxyrinchus, Galeocerdo cuvier
Everyone knows the Great White Shark, but did you know there are more than 1,000 species of sharks and rays, with new species discovered every year?
This quartet of sharks presents the distinct apex predators in a minimalist monochromatic woodcut-style design, flanked by saturated colors of movement while they prowl.
Each shark is adorned with a phosphorescent eyeball element, and a projected AR lighting effect makes them come alive and glisten in the open ocean.
The Brink
Digital Installation with Physical Component.
All species under seige.
Sea dragons evaporate. An orca decays in pixels.
Oceanic whitetips and Great Whites are a cluster of evidence.
A clownfish dies while the penguin ceases its march.
See the dolphins disintegrate.
Triggerfish are but a bag of bones.
This is the Brink, a witness to the ephemeral reality of our oceans.
Gaze into the mirror. See yourself. See what you can do to help, make a difference.
Before it’s too late…
Agador Spartacus
Up-cycled Armature from Recycled Cans, Fine Clay, Acrylic, Mixed Media, High Gloss, Phosphorescent Element, Pedestal.
11 x 11 x 65
American Flamingo
Phoenicopterus ruber
People ask why a flamingo made it into Deep? This isn’t even an ocean creature.
Agador insists he is part of the tapestry.
Miami. Art Deco. South Beach.
He dips his foot into a placid lagoon. He gawks and chortles as he seeves for shrimp in the balmy brine.
This is a fabulous flamingo, equally important to the narrative of our oceans and beyond.
Embrace Agador, and tell Hank Azaria his shoes are waiting.
Leviathan
Up-cycled Armature from Recycled Cans, Fine Clay, Acrylic, Mixed Media, High Gloss, Phosphorescent Element, Pedestal.
14 x 24 x 60
Orca
Orcinus orca
The most iconic cetacean is the killer whale. Yet, he is dolphin, not true whale. This orca, big, black, and white, breaches the surface with his majestic saddle of disruptive color.
What if this sea wolf cruised along in effervescent neon hues of pinks, purples, yellows, and green?
Would you still brave the waters with her ultimate apex predator?
I would, Leviathan.
In addition to Deep, Sküt also curated Wild, a wildlife art exhibition featuring an all-star cast of artists and their creature creations, benefiting the World Wildlife Fund. Check out Wild at TAG Gallery April 13 – May 8, 2021.
*A portion of all sales will directly benefit Birch Aquarium at Scripps, San Diego and Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach, California. We don’t want to mire you, but it comes out to about 20% from Sküt directly, after gallery involvement.
100% of proceeds from sales of the two Vaquita pieces (minus gallery involvement) will be donated directly to Sea Shepherd to support the “Saving the Vaquita Porpoise” campaign. All donations are on behalf of the artist Sküt.