Ocean Banquet

The original painting is SOLD (120cm x 38cm (47" x 15") Acrylic on Canvas)
Please contact craig@wildlifeartist.co.za for enquiries
© Craig Bertram Smith

Far from land and human contact, the ocean is a sanctuary of shifting blue. At one moment calm and lifeless and then next a frenzy. Pelagic predators scout the depths, traveling many kilometers a day in search of their prey. Sometimes a collaborative approach is called for in the hunt and corral the bait fish together. They drive the fish to the surface in a swirling bait ball and with no chance of escape, the little fish are picked off in a frenetic display. The predators gorge them selves on the banquet, as its not every day that they will feed like this.

In the painting I wanted to capture this event with the focus on the strange but beautiful Dorado (Mahi Mahi). As do so many pelagic hunters, these fish flash colour and seem to "light" up from pale blue to yellow as they get excited. In the mix, yellowfin tuna and sailfish are also actively feeding as well.