Baby Catfish

Since I was 8 years old I have spent my summers in a small town outside of Ottawa called Carleton Place. For years I would spend all day every day in the water. The sandy bottom and shallow water was a haven for teams of small silver fish. Every morning I would snap on my goggles, my mom would lather me in SPF if she could catch me and just as I would be pulling the last arm through my swimsuit I would be in the lake. I was addicted. I was on the hunt with my net and my bucket to see if I could catch baby Bass, Pike, Pickerel and minnows... all of those small silver fish. One fine day I came upon a swarm of baby Catfish, unlike any thing I had ever seen. There were hundreds of them all closely grouped together. The water was very clear and warm. The sun was very high and hot. It was shallow and so I could see them well. They swam all around me. It was so peaceful and soothing. Their little bodies felt soft and they weren't afraid to swim right by me, to touch my skin or anything. I could even scoop them up in my hands to catch them. They had the consistency of something soft and gushy, like a gummy candy. Sitting there all alone with these little fish I experienced a true feeling of euphoria. Now, when I look at this painting, I remember that day. The round ball looks like the hot midday sun with pointy rays, the gold reminds me of the way the light reflected off of the water and the soft charcoal black reminds me of, well, little Baby Catfish. I used bronze glaze, charcoal glaze, gold, and Reds. I created texture with simple texture paste.