This work of art started out as a whimsical piece and ended up as an artwork that means so much more. The mind is a powerful thing and mine took over on this one.
Mermaids are fantasy as far as we know. “The Fat Mermaid” in this painting is a protector of the sea. A creature that looks after all the fish and mammals that survive in the ocean. There are many symbols here.
All things were flowing out of my mind and into my paintbrush at a fast pace and with this created some chaos around her with many colors and textures swirling. If you look closely, the mermaid is missing a hand and her mouth is bleeding. Have you ever watched fish in a tank or dived into the abyss and saw fish species missing a tale or a limb? This is common for sea creatures. So many times I have seen fish eat off the tale or fin of another fish.
The mermaid’s mouth signifies man and his invention for catching fish, the hook. The hook can be painful and if it happens to get caught in the mouth of a mermaid, let’s hope she escapes in time before being pulled into the boat by her mouth. This is what happened to The Fat Mermaid. She escaped just in time and is floating in the sea trying to get rid of the pain from the hook.
This painting was created out of my disgust and awe of what man is capable of doing. Some men are good and do great things while some are so cruel and do not care about what pain they cause to any other living thing. The Fat Mermaid is fat because she is a gluten. A gluten for punishment from man. She sees all that goes on in our oceans. The slaughtering of whales and dolphins, the capture of beautiful sea mammals who by accident get caught in fishing nets and die.
This fat mermaid should be very important to all of us. It is a symbol of who we have become as a people. A terrible reminder of what is going on and what only a few of us know about. We must stop the cruelty upon the earth. We have to join together to save the sea and all the creatures in it. This fat mermaid has intense meaning for a passionate person. She should be hung on a wall not only to look beautiful in your room but to be a hidden reminder of what she symbolizes.
If you own the Fat Mermaid, it is your choice to tell your guests what she really means or just leave her hanging as a conversational art piece to spark interest in all who see her. She can be the center of attention for games and fun. What does she mean to you? A mystery worth solving.
Year 2010