Quick on the Trigger

SOLD - Commission (90cm x 120cm (36" x 48") 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 Yellow-margin Triggerfish is quite an interesting character of the tropical flats. They hover around using mostly pectoral, dorsal and anal fins, the tail is only really used for quick bursts of speed.

In the painting I wanted the corals in the foreground very detailed. The branched staghorn coral echoes the intricate patterns of the light on the sea floor and the yellow tabletop staghorn coral draws the viewer to the focal point. The chartreuse of the crab pattern is also used to echo the colours of the main character which leads ones eye to the action of the painting.

I enjoy painting a scene from two different perspectives, water and air. Clouds form interesting abstract shapes and also create the mood. I wanted to convey a sense of eminent tension as the cumulonimbus storm clouds build in the background, the present pristine conditions could change at any time. Nature is of course anything but predictable.

Preliminary Sketch