Butterflies, Birds & Wildlife · horizontal

Slow Gold, Yellow Koi in Cobalt Water

A big golden-yellow koi swims close to the surface of a deep blue pond, seen from above at an angle. Orange koi are partly visible at the corners, and dark and green reflections drift across the water. The whole image has a textured, painted look, and a small bubble sits on the left.

A single luminous golden-yellow koi glides through deep cobalt water, and the warm gold against the cool blue is what stops you. The short, dabbed, oil-paint-like strokes make the pond feel like a surface to look into, not a snapshot of fish. Cropped orange koi at two corners frame the main fish, and the open blue on the left leaves quiet room around one small bubble. Most koi art shows a crowd of fish or a flat graphic pattern. This one has one clear subject, a strong colour split and a calm, forward-and-downward drift.

Artwork by Omaste Witkowski