Hawaiian Snorkel
Status of Original Painting – Private Collection
Size: 12 x 21 inches
Medium: Watercolour on 300 lb d’Arches
Description:
This is obviously not a Newfoundland scene! Hawai’i is one of my favourite places to visit, especially for snorkeling. Off the Big Island of Hawai’i, specifically the Fairmont Orchid resort outside of Kona that we have frequented, there is an abundance of colourful fish, green sea turtles (Honu), coral, and sparkling, clear blue/green water. After spending a lot of time swimming amongst the turtles and fishes, I’d decided that I simply had to do a painting of a typical underwater scene. I took several hundred digital photos with an underwater camera, and spent hours afterward deciding on what to include. As described in the works-in-progress section, I started this painting with the main sea turtle in mind, and the must-include family favourite “Fred the Puffer Fish” – the rest came later as the painting took shape almost by itself.
From left to right (approximately), the fish include a couple of Convict Tangs, a Blackspot Sergeant, a Lagoon Triggerfish, a Threadfin Butterflyfish, two black Tangs, another Lagoon Triggerfish, a couple more black Tangs, and a Stripebelly Puffer. “Fred the Puffer” greeted us on each swim, followed us around, and seemed ever hopeful that we’d have something for him to eat.