It's tarpon season in the Tampa Bay area and my family have been out almost every weekend trying to "hook up". The silver king has been elusive so far, but while they are fishing I've been painting. I photographed this tarpon at the Lowry Park Zoo last year and a painting has been rattling around in my head ever since. But how to compose a painting with just a tarpon looking off to the left? Well what do they love to eat? The number one bait here in the area are pass crabs. You'll see the tarpon rolling in the channels off Egmont Key waiting for pass crabs drifting on the outgoing tide. But I'm not inspired by a crab, their other main bait is the "elusive" pinfish. I like these little guys even though they'll steal your bait in a minute. Their colors, with yellow and electric blue are what I'm looking for. Here's the preliminary work, I first base painted the canvas using green acrylic and blocked in the basic shapes with paynes gray/burnt umber/cerulean blue. I haven't decided whether to leave them suspended in the water with the sunlight streaming or add the bay bottom with sand and grass. I'll decide later.
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