Probing the Fringe

SOLD, commissioned (90cm x 60cm (36" x 24") Acrylic on canvas)
© Craig Bertram Smith
Please contact craig@wildlifeartist.co.za for enquiries or if you would like to get a commission painted.

The open ocean is vast and ever changing. It can be full of life at one moment then lifeless in the next. A predator in this fluctuating domain is constantly on the move, continuously searching for faint clues of fast moving prey. Vibrations and scent trails of congregating baitfish in the distance would trigger the hunting instincts and an increase in pace to locate the food source. This excited activity would also attract bigger predators like sharks and billfish to follow suit.

In conceptualizing this painting, I wanted to show a shoal of yellowfin tuna diving for the depths, trying to escape the threat from behind. I wanted to portray a large blue marlin specimen by filling the picture as if being too large to capture in one shot, with the marlin targeting individual fish on the fringe. 

I  wanted to convey a feeling of vastness, giving the impression of constant movement by emphasizing the light as it filters down to the depths of the abyss.