fish 1

The Image

A rounded goldfish hovers over a dark blue coral reef, fins trailing in soft cream and teal with orange-gold tips. The reef reads as a sea of negative-space coral drawn into a deep navy ground.

The fish itself is flat colour, a few clean shapes layered without shadow. The sea is a photographic engraving pulled down to navy and white. Two very different surfaces forced to share a frame.

First of the fishes, a three-piece series nodding to Japanese ukiyo-e prints. The palette, the flat figure, the decorative ground. Quiet and warm, the friendliest of the three.