Much progress on the tarpon

Miraculously the tarpon is almost finished. I got so involved with painting the layers of color and "fish scales" that I couldn't tear myself away. You can't see the texture of the paint on-line but it adds another dimension to the painting. I had to make myself stop for fear of over working. When I start each days painting session I glaze over the entire fish with Liquin Fine Detail to bring out the colors and give a fresh painting surface to work. It provides just the right amount of tacky surface for the oil paint to adhere. I'm not happy with the pinfish!! I glazed over them again with paynes gray and Liquin, blurring the details. I think I over worked them for such a small fish, you would not normally see much detail as they move very quickly. I'm still not sure whether I will add the bay floor or sea grass or just have them suspended. I know that as I continue to work the problems will magically work themselves out.

Tarpon painting in progress

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.