
I got bored of painting landscapes, flowers, and buildings, which have been my favorite things to paint. So I decided to paint a fish. When I came across a photo of the mandarin fish for the first time, I could not believe my eyes. I have never seen a more colorful, exotic looking fish. I love fish. I used to have an aquarium, but gave it up so I could have the 3 cats I have now. The fish tank was a lot of work.
I have a great love for color, and this subject matter sure fits the bill. My color palette was Permalba white, lemon yellow, cadmium yellow dark, cadmium scarlet, permanent rose, cerulean blue phthalo, ultramarine blue, and burnt umber. For the body of the fish, I used the cerulean with a bit of yellow mixed in, and cadmium yellow dark with a touch of cad scarlet added. I love the various warm and cool blues. I used glazing in pure ultramarine blue and Liquin for the transluscent fin on the side.
This is oil, on an acrylic background. It was a labor intensive thing to paint, but I’m very happy with it, and enjoyed painting it. I am in amazement at the creativity of God, to make such a creature.