# Fish and Pet Portraits?



## asukawashere (Mar 11, 2009)

This might seem like an obscure question, but what the heck. It's something I've been contemplating for awhile. Worst that can happen is people can laugh me off the face of the internet, I suppose. :mrgreen:

I've noticed in recent years that there's a rising genre of art/illustration often described as "pet portraiture" - which is pretty much what it says on the tin. Paintings, drawings, depictions, etc. of beloved pets - sometimes living ones, sometimes deceased. Mostly its done with cats and dogs (and horses), since they're often more "sentimental" pets, but considering how crazy some people are about their fish (*cough*me*cough*), I've been wondering for awhile now whether there might be a market for (or at least interest in) fish portraits? Maybe an artistic reproduction of a favorite fish photo, a depiction of a prized show fish, a painting of your favorite shoaling species playing amongst hard-to-cultivate flora? Or even art based on your own aquascape...

I'm asking this here in particular (as opposed to some general aquaria forum) because I suspect plant/aquascaping people tend to be the more aesthetically inclined fish hobbyists (at least more so than the guys with bare-bottomed guppy factories in their basements), and are also a wonderful resource in terms of pretty tank pictures.

I will also point out that if you hang it on your wall, it becomes the ultimate no-maintenance fishkeeping/plant cultivation. :mrgreen:

So, thoughts? Does it seem like an interesting idea? Am I totally bonkers? Should I shut up and go back to neurotically arranging the plants in my tanks? Would you want something like that? Will I ever stop asking questions?
(actually, I can answer that last one... the answer is "no" :mrgreen


----------



## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

I've seen some computer filtered pxs that are really nice. I've thought they would be neat in a fish room. As for a market.. maybe at a lake resort or beach area.


----------



## asukawashere (Mar 11, 2009)

XD Did they use posterize filters or something?
If you like digital art, I have an old series of digital fish doodles you might like.  I'll try and dig up the files to upload...

Any art in a fish room needs to be far away from the tanks themselves - the water vapor they put out degrades the surface the picture is painted on. That said, it can be a wonderful offset for a room that has a show tank it it - helps unify the design theme and whatnot.

XD The beach markets are oversaturated with nauticals and seascapes. Lots of palm trees down south, lots of lighthouses up here in new england, etc. I was sort of thinking of interest via internet leading to the promotion of fish illustration as a facet of the hobby.... or get someone to hire me to make an illustration, even (that's a whole different thing, though) My initial curiousity here is finding out what people think of the notion of a fish portraiture field.

Anyway, thanks for the input - nice to know the idea at least intrigues some  

By the way, all, feel free to post images of any fish art you own or drew, Maybe it'll inspire someone


----------

