Inspired by the landscape and aquatic life near her home in Palm Beach County, Florida, Carly Mejeur melds her love of the water with her training as an artist.

Mejeur uses the features printed on nautical charts – especially the depth contours, numbers and coastlines – to inspire the composition of her watercolors. Look through her portfolio, and you’ll find octopi curling tentacles around the islands off the Straits of Florida, turtles soaring along the coast of Maui, hammerheads circling the Bahamas and manatees grazing Tampa Bay, among other scenes.

This video by Dive Documentaries shows Mejeur at work:

Through her artwork, Mejeur hopes to inspire awareness of the coral reef conservation effort in South Florida, which seeks to protect these delicate ecosystems through research, education and public awareness.