Saturday 16 June 2012

Effervescing Merriment, or how to happily capture water for a fish to swim

Continuing my exploration of multi-media and multi-level works, I decided the next fish painting should portray the joy of - well - simply being. Watching bubbles rise in my glass of cucumber water at lunch one day, I knew I wanted to really push the idea of bubbling. The beauty of the light, reflected in different levels of depth and clarity was captivating. So, so simple - yet hard to capture.

I knew I didn't want to paint it with straight acrylic. While achieving a realistic effect, that medium alone would not look industrial enough for me. I ended up creating bubbles on thick, flame polished plexi. This garage experiment was addictive, scary and liberating at the same time. In the end, it worked out beautifully. I love it. It's been hanging on my wall. Certain pieces tend to, before I let them find a new home full of love.

Chinese brocade fabric seemed a perfect tiny mirror of the colour and happiness I wanted to reflect. Connected by a heavy string, it was made to be. Well - almost. I dyed it in bronze and visually joined with hardware.

All that was missing was a little piece of electricity. It had to be blue. Pretty, but sharp blue. Once I mixed it, I didn't want to just paint it onto the plexi. Too literal. I wanted more texture and clarity. So I handmade a clear plastic shape. It delayed the process for a couple of days, but it was worth it. I'm tickled pink.

Little fish, little fish, little fish
Swim, float and slide
Tiny pieces of happiness
Releasing to the sky




2 comments:

  1. Helloooo Raymond! I tell you - travelling has done me a world of good this year. One trip down, three more to go. Wait till you see me play with orange and teal. I can hardly wait!

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