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Wyland, who goes by only his last name, is a marine life artist and conservation advocate.This month, he's taking his Every Drops Counts Tour to zoos, aquariums, and schools across the country. By combining art and science, Wyland is showing kids how they can help conserve water. It's all part of the Wyland Foundation's Clean Water Challenge, a five–year campaign for clean water and healthy oceans.
"The basis of life as we know it depends on water," Wyland says. "But few people are aware of the impact they have on local watersheds and habitats even in our own country."
Whales on Walls
One way Wyland gets his message across is by having kids "picture" healthy water environments. That is, students paint pictures—murals, actually—of coasts, lakes, rivers, and wetlands. When the tour stopped recently in San Diego, Calif., 8–year–old Elle Samdiere grabbed a paintbrush. "I painted a harbor seal because I like animals that live in the Arctic," she told a reporter. "It's my favorite animal."
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concerned about healthy oceans? Aquatic life has long been Wyland's passion. He is best known for his Whaling Wall project, a series of huge murals depicting whales and other sea life. Since 1981, when he painted his first megamural in Laguna Beach, Calif., the artist has painted 95 Whaling Walls in cities across the world. What's more, he doesn't charge for his work. Each mural is a gift to the city.
In 1993, Wyland was listed in the Guinness World Records for painting the largest mural in the world. His mural Planet Ocean mural wraps around the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, Calif. The mural, depicting a variety of sea life, is 1,280 feet in diameter and 185 feet high.
The Greatest Wall of Them All
You might think Wyland would be satisfied with having achieved a world record. But he has bigger plans.
He will be going to the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China. There, he will paint his 100th—and final—Whaling Wall mural with help from kids of many nations. Each young artist will work on a section of the mural, painting a picture of marine life from his or her country. The final mural—which will hang along the Great Wall of China—will be almost 3 miles long!
"Artists don't have to follow the rules. We just have to think big," Wyland says. "My problem is, I go out and make it happen!"
To find out more about Wyland, go to:
For a full list of the Whaling Walls and their locations, go to:
Wyland's new book is Hold Your Water: 68 Things You Need to Know to Keep Our Planet Blue.
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