Mandarinfish, Synchiropus splendidus
I wanted to paint this fish for years, so glad I finally made it happen. The first time I saw a photo of one I was completely blown away. I had previously thought the Clown Triggerfish was the most ornately colored fish on the planet, now I think it is the Mandarinfish.
On one hand this was so much fun to paint because of the crazy vibrant, saturated colors. On the other hand it was a mind-bending technical challenge to come up with the sequence of how to layer the different colors and make the pectoral fin look translucent. As is often the case in nature the Mandarinfish's bright colors signal that they are deadly poisonous, so they have no predators other than humans.
10% of this sale will be donated to Oceana, an organization dedicated to saving the world's oceans.
One of a kind hand-painted and signed original watercolor painting on Arches watercolor paper from France with Holbein professional-grade watercolors. Price includes museum-quality framing including UV-blocking glass. The original painting's image is 11" wide x 8 1/2" tall and framed size is 17" wide x 15" tall. Ships safely via UPS Ground with full insurance.
