EIRINN DYE

The Queen of Sharks (2023)
Eirinn Dye, 17, Waterloo Collegiate Institute
(Mixed Media: pen and marker on paper)

I interpreted the theme “the nature of things'' as how something truly is despite what it’s commonly perceived as. I wanted to create an artwork that would show this, and eventually I decided on what you now see. Sharks are usually seen as dangerous and aggressive man-eaters, with their only purpose in life being to terrorize humans trying to enjoy a day at the beach. In reality sharks are just normal animals. They aren’t cuddly puppies, but they also aren’t mindless killing machines. I showed this by making the woman on the queen of diamonds card into a shark.

The queen of diamonds can symbolize strength, leadership, and power. She’s also holding a flower in the original card, which I decided to change to a daisy to show innocence. Some of the king cards can also represent these same things, but I chose a queen since they’re one step below the king in terms of power. To explain this further, if I were to make a deck of cards then the king would be a human. This would be to show the audience that despite how much humans may fear sharks, we still consider ourselves above them. I also just like the aesthetic of the card. It’s very regal and pretty which I also think suits sharks. I wanted to replicate the classic look of the card with red and blue pens, and black and yellow markers. In the end, though, I’m just someone who likes sharks. I think they’re amazing animals and I’d like to help make some impact on how they’re perceived by most people, no matter how small it is.