Drill, Baby, Drill
To stand at the edge of the sea, to feel the ebb and flow of the tides, to feel the breath of a mist moving over a great salt marsh, to watch the flight of shorebirds that have swept up and down the sun lines of the continents for untold thousands of year … is to have knowledge of things that are as nearly eternal as any earthly life can be.
— Rachel Carson
We created our eighth broadside in anger and dismay over the 2010 Deepwater Horizon/British Petroleum oil spill, which over the course of several months poured millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. The illustration focuses on the many species of wildlife affected by the disaster. A manatee and dolphin play in deep ocean blue, while plovers dash by in a sandy gold that becomes the sickly tea-colored oil pouring from a hidden offshore rig. Baby sea turtles inch their way to the shore. A roseate spoonbill nests with her chicks in a corner. A brown pelican sits, surveying the scene. How many creatures can you find?
You can learn more about this piece on our blog.
Year created
2010
At issue
Offshore oil drilling and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Edition size
136 prints
Significance of edition number
36 years (at the time of printing) since the passage of the Endangered Species Act
Special printing techniques
Drill, Baby, Drill contains hand-colored elements that are individually hand-painted with watercolor.
Donation
A portion of the proceeds were donated to Oceana, in hopes of banning offshore drilling in American waters.