Dance of the Jelly Fish

Dance of the Jelly Fish, 16x12, oil on linen

This painting comes from a Facebook 'challenge' a month or so ago that some friends of mine were throwing around. The first subject was octopus. I so wanted to paint an octopus but I have no images of my own of those amazing creatures. Searching online did not help me find what I was looking for. So, after those paintings were posted by those who knew what they wanted, the next topic was Jelly Fish! I had a number of images I took when I went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  I went there a few years ago with my son on our road trip up the California Coast. I am sure it is the lighting of this exhibit that makes the colors so vibrant, but it was captivating!

I thought this being a fairly small piece it would not take me long, which it didn't. But getting it to the satisfaction of my son (and he was correct) has been a struggle. In the original image the jelly fish are fairly dark and almost have a solid feel to them, which I of course, captured. He just could not like the painting because of that. So I did my best to rid them of the dark lines and solid feel trying to make them more ethereal. Not something I do well with. I am so an outline, graphic person in how I see. He has not seen this last version yet, but I am thinking it will 'pass muster.' Finally!

I do love the colors and it was fun to paint something totally different for me.