Lionfish in Watercolor: Study #2

Sometimes the time just has to be right. I've loved lionfish for twenty-plus years, but only started painting them this week. This is a quick photo of an 8"x10" study - I had just sprinkled areas of my blue wash with salt to add watery texture, and it hasn't even dried yet.

Once upon a time, I thought of myself as pretty much exclusively a floral painter. It has been so energizing to adopt a "can-do" attitude to nearly every subject and take brush in hand to attempt a new topic of interest. In this year alone I've tackled pets, self-portraits, abstracts and now sea life, and it's bringing new life to my painting. I think it even makes my floral paintings better!

My goal for this series of lionfish paintings is to capture my subject in a half sheet (15" x 22") painting that just glows with colour and the graceful beauty of this gorgeous fish.