To me, snorkeling in Hawaii evokes a feeling of wonder and amazement. There is a "surprise and delight" element present. Not all days have great visibility; sometimes the tide is too high, the swell is too big and you can't see more than a few feet in front of you. But on a nice calm day it becomes magical, and it feels like my body is just floating in clear space. Sometimes there are so many fish in every direction I can hardly believe I am not inside an aquarium. I watch "herds" of striped manini grazing on seaweed plains like cows and tiny damselfish families guarding their coral castles. Rainbow colored wrasse duck away from me shyly and huge neon parrotfish cruise by with wide-mouthed smiles. ["Reef" canvas giclee print].
(photo by Peter Thomas via Unsplash)
As I pop my head above the surface again I see the continuation of everyday "land life": people lying on towels, children playing in the sand, and rows of condos towering high. No one, not even the surfers, is aware of the scene unfolding in the underwater world except those with goggles or masks that act as a window to this world. It is a world filled with the tiniest of details: hermit crabs trading shells, striped eels snaking across the sandy bottom, and the curious eyes of an octopus peeking from a hole in the reef.
It's not only the creatures that bring inspiration, but the textures, colors and sensory details of this alien world. Ribbons of golden wave patterns dance below me and my every movement sends a flurry of translucent bubbles toward the surface. I can no longer hear the human chatter on land and my ears are filled with pops, clicks, taps and the crashing of waves on the reef.
[I wanted to infuse this experience of being in an ethereal realm into my painting. I also wanted to convey the feelings of FUN and ENJOYMENT because snorkeling is a hobby after all! This is why I chose whimsical, soft colors for the background while making the fish neon colored to stand out like they do in the ocean. My original color palette ideas were also sparked by those 90's neon souvenir graphic t-shirts, but I wanted to keep the fish more realistic and true to form. Each one is a real tropical fish including a parrotfish, yellow tang, line surgeonfish, picasso triggerfish, pennantfish and two-spot anthias. The red pencil urchin is also a real critter that I've seen while snorkeling on the Big Island. ["Reef" Print Collection]
I'm not gonna lie, conveying all of that in my first tropical fish and coral reef undersea painting was definitely a challenge. But I hope the result brings a little moment of tropical sea beauty and wonder to anyone who views it.
