Drawing Under the Sea

Edited by Jack Cooper
Filmed by John Conley

“Through drawing, I can record the movement of plants, fish, and water in ways my photographs can’t. I’ve been drawing in waterproof notebooks since my first dive in 2018 and they are indispensable when I am in the studio painting the reef. Unlike my photographs, each page brings me right back to the moment I was in when I made the drawing. I also photograph underwater for later reference in the studio, particularly the color and light that the drawings don’t capture.” -Elizabeth Awalt