They breach the oceans and slap their tails wildly while singing melodic songs. This is just a brief glimpse into the daily life of the Whale, one of the largest known animals in the world. They are mammoth in physical size, however fewer and fewer whales live as time swims forward. Human activity (specifically whaling) has been the chief cause of the dropping population numbers of many whale species on the planet. The North Atlantic Right Whale population, for example, is at around 350. Worldwide. That is a shockingly low number and one that warrants attention. It is with this in mind that my newest piece is born – “Swirl of Fun.” Who doesn’t like whales?

In preparation for Mother’s Day this Sunday, we are offering a neat little promotion. Buy any two art prints from our store and get a third one for FREE. Simply send us an email note with your purchase indicating which print you’d like for free. Isn’t a nice art print a cute way to show your love to your mother? Getting 3 to decorate mom’s wall is an easy way of earning brownie points. Promotion expires this Saturday.

It is said that the intelligence of dolphins rivals that of humans. There are even advocacy groups that are fighting to give dolphins human-like rights. That’s quite a cause, folks. The bottom line is, the dolphin is one of the most loved creatures on this planet due to their playful charm and charisma. But now it is certain that populations are spiraling down to alarming levels – causing a concern amongst conservationists and environmentalists, as well as EcoPatterns. We want everyone to be mindful of this very sad truth.

That said, today we debut our newest piece – Dolphin Couple – on our website. The original painting was completed yesterday by Malathip Kriheli and before we even thought about getting the vector art done for future tee-shirts, we felt the urge to share our newest work through exclusive art prints available now. See, time is precious, and awareness of the plight of these extraordinary creatures must be widespread. This is our goal. And remember, every one of your purchases helps fund our favorite charity, WWF.

2009 was an exciting year for us and we are looking forward to a more prosperous and successful coming year. We will be making a sincere effort to uphold our mission in raising awareness of the plight of endangered animals and environmental concerns. We will be talking to like-minded organizations with the goal of strengthening our ambitions.

We are also happy to announce that EcoPatterns is now contributing monthly donations to WWF and its entirely made possible by your continued support. Rest assured that your purchases of our products will in turn, help a fantastic cause.

We’d like to kick off the year by sharing a new addition to our archive, the Ark Shark. I know, I know – most folks seldom sympathize with the predatory giant of the sea that evokes horrific memories of “Jaws” and tales of attacks on humans. But the reality of the situation is that these magnificent marine beasts are in dire need of attention as their populations are drastically dwindling. Malathip Kriheli designed this new pattern as well as a new painting with great care and a deep concern for the preservation of this awesome creature.