Painting Tropical Fish

AUTUMN — my favourite time of the year is flying by. Winter is in just 2 weeks! We had the longest Summer on record. I took advantage of unusually warm days by sneaking dips in the pool right up until the beginning of October. It was cold for sure, dipping into an unheated pool nestled by the mountains, but I had to do it.

I also walked my Blue Point Siamese, named "Nuut" in crunchy Autumn leaves and fresh mountain air. Totally magical!

In September I had a beautiful birthday (I'm born on my dad's bday!) and I'm lucky I still get to celebrate with him. It's very easy. He refuses any attention so it all falls on me!

One of the thoughtful, radiant gifts I was given by my boyfriend was 'diamond dust'. I had been eyeing gorgeous diamond dust paintings on our recent trip to Toronto in mid-September. I've always wanted to try it but I was too scared of it. Artist imposture syndrome. 

Today, I'm still in the middle of trial and error with the diamond dust and its various applications.

The following surrounds the execution of the sparkling material that I'm excited to share: 

I painted a beautiful school of reef fish (Damselfish) in my custom color palette of gold and peach. The background was painted in my neon coral first, and then I used pencil to "map out" the fish. I mixed acrylics with Gloss Varnish mediums and even archival glue to mimic the consistency of oil paint. I wanted a thick, voluminous finish, and scale true-to-life so you feel you are immersed with the Damselfish— picture yourself diving...

And then I painted very, very, quickly before the paint and my thick medium had a chance to dry on itself. 

 **If you want to know more about my tropical reef fish affinity, check out my Story.**

The final result of this painting was a dazzling spectacular! The diamond dust glows on top of my signature coral and copper. In the coming weeks I may add a top coat of varnish or resin to take it over the edge. 

Artist Tip: 

Push the boundaries of your materials to see how far it suits you to take it. Going "too far" to the point where your painting breaks down and loses impact for you just means "hold back" on the next one. 

XO, Lisa