Protect Rice’s Whales

Two figures move through light — a mother and her calf suspended in the Gulf’s quiet depths. The rays break through the surface like heaven touching water, illuminating a species most people have never heard of — yet one of the most endangered whales on Earth.

Drawn in layered cross-hatching and restrained color, the bodies feel both ancient and fragile. The mother’s eye holds awareness. The calf stays close. They move together through shadowed waters that are beautiful — and increasingly threatened.

This piece is not just a portrait. It is a record. A testimony of something still alive. A plea to protect what remains unseen beneath the surface. At the bottom, the words read simply: “Protect the Rice’s Whale.” Because if we do not speak their name, they disappear quietly.