TO GREATER DEPTHS

This oil painting was the largest I have ever done! (4x3') I have been painting with oils since I was 15 but my relationship with this material and how I approach a piece has changed so much over the years. Here are a few progress shots of my exploration into making these figures translucent creatures:

This work titled "To Greater Depths" is one piece in a series I am currently working on titled "1000 m" which explores the imagined state of people becoming essentially bioluminescent. In our oceans the only color that survives reaches the lower limits of the euphotic zone - blue hues radiate 1000m below the surface where no other color can go. What would happen if we as people became translucent, and the energy in our hearts filled our bodies with a blaze of color that our skin couldn't hide? 

Check out my instagram for more on this project @byautumnlily