Color=Life Finalists

Healthy, thriving coral offers an astonishing array of colors. The colors are actually created by algae living in the coral, which is much like the hemoglobin that gives our blood its red hue. Like our blood, the algae nourish the coral. With global warming and pollution, the algae cannot survive and leave the coral to become bleached, and a once thriving habitat becomes a ghost town. To depict the rich diversity of coral life, each piece of coral was individually formed with clay and painted in a quiet palette to emphasize the fragile nature of coral. The coral are set against a deep blue background that magnifies their iridescent colors