Dimensions: 51x61cm
Painted: 1999
Materials: Acrylic on canvas board
Private collection
The story behind Sea slug
The first commissioned painting — and a lesson learned early.
A friend asked for it. The subject held no personal interest whatsoever. The source image from a magazine was small and soft, offering little to work with technically. The painting was completed as requested.
The friend then decided he didn’t want it.
As it turns out, the Nembrotha Purpureolineata is a fitting subject for the occasion. Its vivid, contrasting colors are a warning signal — nature’s shorthand for “I am poisonous.” When threatened it excretes a toxic blue slime. All dressed up in danger, and nobody wanted it.
It would not be the last time this happened.
Source image of realism painting Sea slug Nembrotha Purpureolineata
