Forsaken

Pictured here is one of the largest pillar coral colonies I’ve ever seen anywhere in the world… now lifeless. I can only imagine what this coral once looked like at full health, and how many years it took to grow to this size. This species, Pillar Coral (Dendrogyra cylindrus), grows in tall, cylindrical columns, almost like fingers reaching toward the surface. When alive, these majestic structures remind me of a crown fit for royalty or a miniature mockup design of a mighty underwater kingdom.Seeing this once-thriving pillar coral now completely dead was heartbreaking, and a sobering reminder of the devastating impact of warming seas on coral reefs. When sea temperatures rise too high, corals expel the algae, lose their color, and if the stress continues, they die. What you’re looking at here isn’t just one coral, it’s the collapse of an entire ecosystem that once supported countless forms of life. The hardest part is how fast it can happen. Years, sometimes decades, of growth can be lost in a single season.In The Bahamas, we’ve already seen what happens when these systems are weakened. Coral reefs act as natural barriers, helping to reduce wave energy and protect our islands. When Hurricane Dorian hit in 2019, the damage was devastating, and without healthy reefs, our coastlines became even more vulnerable to storms like that. This image was created in Freeport, Grand Bahama, one of the two islands that Hurricane Dorian almost completely destroyed.I created this piece as a reminder that what we do above water doesn’t stay above water. The choices we make every day have a direct impact on places like this. While years of coral growth can be destroyed in one summer, daily sustainable changes can result in an impact that lasts a lifetime. A portion of the proceeds from each print sale goes directly toward supporting coral restoration efforts in The Bahamas.