Tethys: When the Sahara Was Sea

Tethys: When the Sahara Was Sea

Oil paint, mediums, and sand on canvas 

Size: 58.5 x 47.5 x 7 cm

“The Sahara was a spectacle as alive as the sea.” – Simone de Beauvoir

Imagine walking on a desert that was once the floor of an ancient ocean. Well, that’s exactly the experience that inspired “Tethys: When the Sahara Was Sea” – a mixed media voyage through time, blending oil paint, mediums, and sand I collected during a trek through the Sahara.

As we trekked, I was constantly struck by a seemingly impossible thought: this endless desert was once an ocean floor. And indeed, the Tethys Ocean existed there around 200 million years ago. As tectonic plates shifted, it gradually closed, giving rise to the Mediterranean Sea and transforming the area into the arid Sahara we know today.

Picture it: a desert stretching endlessly in every direction, with sand so fine that even a small beetle left tracks in it. Yet, fossils of marine reptiles and early whales found in the Sahara reveal its rich aquatic past. We can’t possibly comprehend the vast timescales or the energy involved in that transformation. But it definitely puts our fleeting three-score years and ten into perspective. Doesn’t it?

By blending organic shapes and bold colours, I wanted to evoke the receding ocean, shifting sands, and dynamic natural processes that have shaped the Sahara over millions of years. I hand-built and painted the box frame, sculpting the inside to mimic sand dunes. The exterior transitions from blue through greens and coppers into golden yellows, echoing the Sahara’s evolution from sea to desert.

So, as you look at this piece, I hope it reminds you of the incredible transformations that have shaped our planet – and inspires you to embrace the changes in your own journey through life. After all, if an ocean can become a desert, imagine what transformations await in your own story.