The Fish Series

I am deathly allergic to fish. This is a statement that often draws concern; people ask if I have an EpiPen nearby or if I can eat at the dining hall on salmon nights. But as strange as it may be, I see my allergy as something casual. It is not something to be afraid of; it is simply a part of me. This paradox compels me to take on the subject of the fish through painting, turning a plain yet life-threatening animal into an object of fascination and reinvention.

Using oil paint as my primary medium, I invent odd situations, imagining fish in various contexts that feel both playfully surreal and deeply unsettling. I toy with the concept of edibility, establishing narratives throughout my work with candied sharks attacking Swedish Fish and a boy swallowing a live goldfish. Juxtaposing dark, moody backgrounds with silly imagery, I explore themes of death and morbidity while maintaining a sense of whimsy. The scenes are staged using a mix of imagination and still-life references—the settings are usually painted from life, while the fish is of my design. Taking cues from both horror movies and children’s books, I light my paintings to create a clear fish-centered focal point. Through this interplay of light and dark, innocence and unease, I aim to evoke a sense of curiosity, nostalgia, and quiet disturbance and to break down boundaries between the familiar and the grotesque.

Throughout this series, I paint on a tondo canvas. Inspired by the Fibonacci sequence and by the swirling motion of a swimming fish, I configure the elements in my paintings to form a spiral composition. For example, in The Funeral, I follow the natural shape of the tondo to trace the elements of the toilet, creating concentric ovals that lead to the goldfish focal point. Similarly, in the Goldfish Series, Middle School uses the shape of the hand and slight hook of the fish’s body to draw out a deep intensity and discomfort as it spirals into the mouth. The swirl pulls the viewer in, executing a tension between beauty and unease.