The Flying Fish of Crete

Inspired by a wall mural at Phylakopi in Melos, c. 1500 B.C., the flying fish is a solid example of the Cretans’ portrayal of a marine life nature scene. The composition consists of fish with wing-like fins, gliding through water amongst strange-shaped objects, which may be interpreted as floating pebbles, and coral lining the sea floor. Other designs here may represent seaweed. The blue, yellow and white colors were commonly used in many frescoes during the late Minoan/early Mycenaean era.

Through a complexity of highlight and shadow, I create a fossil-like appearance to my fish, which give the fresco a contrast of the free-flowing movement of sealife and, at the same time, the illusion that the fish have been imbedded in rock, frozen in time.