Tarpon Apex

Painting Size: 36”x60”
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Tarpon have a presence unlike any other fish. Massive, powerful, and bright with shifting silver, they seem to carry the light of the water with them. Watching one move—whether rolling on the surface or gliding just below—is unforgettable, and capturing that living, reflective quality in paint is one of the greatest challenges and rewards of working with this subject.
 
This particular tarpon became a study in patience and detail. Along the side of this fish are more than five hundred individual scales—each one painted, adjusted, and refined to capture the way light moves across the body. At one stage the tones grew too dark, and I went back, lightened every scale with silver, and rebuilt the color layer by layer until the surface began to glow again. That process is what gives the fish its depth and life.
 
From across the room, the long sweeping form reads as bold and unmistakable; up close, the scales, subtle color shifts, and layered textures reveal the hours of work hidden inside the surface. It’s a piece that rewards a slow look, much like spotting a tarpon itself in moving water.
 
This painting is also the one featured in a video where the fish appears to swim off the canvas—an effect that reflects what I’m always trying to achieve: a painting that feels alive, not static.
 
 
Acrylic on Canvas
Finish: Satin Varnish
Wired and Ready to Hang