Butterflies, Birds & Wildlife · horizontal

Ember Koi, Surfacing in a Dark Pond

A multicolored koi fish with orange, yellow, white and black patches swims near the surface of a dark pond. A larger orange koi is partly visible across the top of the frame. Rippling blue and tan reflections and small bubbles cover the water around them.

Most koi art is a bright fish on a pale or flat background. This one is mostly deep black water, so the orange, yellow and white of the fish stand out against it. The sky is reflected in the pond as swirling blue and tan, and bubbles and ripple lines fill the dark. A collector who wants koi but not a cute, bright aquarium picture gets a darker, more dramatic scene. The brushstroke-like surface makes it read as a painting while the subject stays instantly recognisable.

Artwork by Omaste Witkowski