This piece has been in my portfolio for a little over a year. Definitely one of those pieces that I stepped out of my comfort zone to make. Up to that point, I rarely made full illustrations (just characters), so this was something new. This took me about a month to finish. This is the step by step process of the piece.
So a bit of the inspiration behind the piece… and it may be a different sort of inspiration.
I have this fascination with sea creatures and how they function underwater; how different life is underneath the waves compared to on land.
So this is something strange about me and may not make a lot of sense; but I have a bit of a phobia of the deep ocean and open water. Takes a lot for me to go into the water at the beach. You couldn't pay me to try deep sea scuba diving. I do have this enjoyment watching documentaries on sea creatures and the ocean, I get the same thrill when watching a scary movie. I'm not completely sure when I realized I had this fear, but I'm sure it was stemmed from a childhood incident.
When I was around 7, my family took a weekend vacation to beach. I loved swimming in the ocean! At that time, I really liked swimming out to where the waves haven't broken yet, my feet wouldn't touch the ocean floor, and the building waves would lift me really high. (Now the thought of that makes me shiver) I was young and short, so it never was that far from the beach. One time though, my younger brother and I got pulled out with the tide really far from the shore and we couldn't swim back. I remember being so scared. I saw the lifeguard waving flags and blowing his whistle. We wanted to come back in, but honestly couldn't get anywhere but further out. Seeing the beach get smaller and smaller left me crying. I don't remember how my brother was feeling, but I was so terrified.
Two gentlemen we passed swimming out there helped pull us back halfway and the lifeguard took us the rest of the way to the beach. It took so much energy trying to swim back. At that time though, I was more upset at my mother yelling at me than the possible drowning out in the ocean. I still enjoyed the beach and the water after that… so I don't know when I developed the fear. But thinking back to that day now, is enough for me to never go out too far.
That and I have a fear of whales… Strange enough as it is, the idea of something that big living in an area that is so vast… wow. Yeah, I don't mind whales just never want to see one in the wild. Ever.
But yeah, the piece below was a lot of fun to work on. And I really do get a thrill painting and drawing ocean scenes.
Now you know a little more about me!
-Casey Jo
