Coral Reef and Tropical Fish Impressionist

Finding Light Beneath the Surface

With this piece, “Coral Reef and Tropical Fish Impressionist”, my interest lay in the way light filters through moving water, shifting the weights and values of colour as it descends. Rather than attempting a clinical, photographic documentation of a reef, I wanted to capture the immediate sensation of looking through depth—how shapes lose their sharp edges and become defined instead by the temperature of the paint.

The coral’s structure is built up with a heavy texture, working quickly to keep the marks expressive. I chose vibrant pinks and deep purples to anchor the foreground, allowing the thicker application of paint to catch the ambient room light and create its own subtle shadows. Against this, the tropical fish are blocked in as quick movements of pure colour—oranges, bright yellows, and cobalt blues—suggesting life that refuses to sit still.

The real technical challenge was balancing the background. The upper water columns are kept intentionally pale and fluid, with vertical brushstrokes letting the light break through from above. It acts as a quiet counterpoint to the busy, textured life below. By scratching into the wet paint and using loose, gestural outlines, the aim was to convey the constant, restless energy of an underwater world without overcrowding the composition.