Lionfish Study in Watercolour

Last night I started thinking about the ocean. When I lived in Papua New Guinea, on calm mornings my brother, sister and I would paddle our outrigger canoe along the shore. The murky depths of our beach were a perfect hiding place for venomous stingrays, stonefish and scorpionfish, so we didn't swim there, but if you paddled along the edge of the reef on calm days, you could look through glassy water and watch the lionfish wave through the water, feathery spines fluttering rhythmically. They were even more beautiful because we knew they were dangerous.

I was thinking about lionfish and sea life last night, and this morning started the first study for what I hope will one day become a large undersea-scape, starring the lionfish.

I'm excited because I get to use my favourite turquoises and phthalo blues, and I'm learning that purple and orange both play a part in the lovely colours of the lionfish.