August 2025 Online Pop Up Art Show
Woo hoo!
I was very excited to be invited to be a participating artist in Stephanie Gago's 2025 August Pop Up Art Show!
Lots of my new paintings made their debut! I had a lot of fun writing stories to go with each one. Sharing these and other photos around the show below.
Levi is "Up in Arms!"
There didn’t used to be any law and order on the reef until this guy came along.
Levi swam in with a smile on his face and danger in his eye if you messed with him. He is always ready to kick some “booty” when something or someone invades and brings danger to the reef.
He's an octopus with an attitude and not afraid to use it to keep the peace and take care of his friends!
He’ll also buy you a drink, pat you on the back, several times, and tell you stories if he likes you. He's a great guy to have around!
"Zelda, She is a Showgirl!"
Say hi to Zelda!
Zelda, she is a showgirl!
Her real name is Fannie Mae. Born in the southern reefs, we all saw Fannie Mae out there dancing and swinging and swaying all the time when she was a little seahorse.
When "Deep Reef Idol" came to town, we all cheered and clapped for Fannie Mae! She can really belt one out. Everyone loved her!
Now she's a famous showgirl! Her name is Zelda, with pink curls and a fancy outfit! She can tango and do the merengue, and sea critters come from near and far to watch her show! I hope you get to see it too!
"Wildly Wonderful Colorfully Different!"
In most of my paintings I use bold, vibrant, colors, marks and brushstrokes to create figurative abstracts that showcase the personalities of my characters in a fun and energetic way.
These wildly, wonderful, colorful fish are my way of saying "Look how different we all are and yet we are all beautiful in our own ways." .
I believe we always have choices about how we handle ourselves and respond to others. In my world, I choose to make fun, love, humor and happiness my primary choices as a way to move through life in a positive way. These are all important aspects you'll see in my paintings.
Hopefully, something you see will bring a smile to your face and joy/love to your heart.
"Ollie and Finley"
"Ollie moved to the Reef a few years ago when his family moved and he was very sad. He missed his friends.
Finley is a smaller version of his clown fish species and the other clowns made fun of him, so he was lonely. And also sad.
One day they met up at the edge of the Reef. They were both eating lunch. Finley asked Ollie if he liked truffles and from there a beautiful friendship was born.
Now they are BFF's and meet up or talk to each other every day. They also eat truffles for lunch every day together.
"Cosmic Fish" aka CF Sage
Cosmic Fish is a flower child from the early 60’s and has a tat on her left thigh that says “Make love not war”.
She and her friends live together in an old school bus that sank near the Reef many years ago and they love their community. Even though she was named Pretty Fish of the Seas by her parents, her friends call her CF Sage because she has a wide open mind and “see’s” things about others.
CF Sage is very wise. We all go visit her when we need help with something. She always offers a solution that works! She’s definitely not just of this world.
The Hilariously Breathless Tale of "Gasping Gilda"
Gilda is a tiny, sweet, orange and yellow fish who darts here and there and all around the reef. Everyone knows and loves her. Gilda had one big problem though, she literally couldn’t stop gasping. Not because she was scared, oh no — she was just perpetually surprised by everything. Every. Single. Thing.
When the seaweed wiggled? Gasp.
When the bubbles rose? GASP.
When she caught her own reflection in a clamshell mirror? FULL-BODY GASP.
One time, she gasped so loud at a baby crab’s tap dance routine, she launched herself out of the water, screamed “BRAVO!” mid-air, and flopped back down in a swirl of applause.
Locals began to treat her gasps like sonar alerts. “Gilda’s gasping again!” they’d say. “What’s happening this time?” It became a town game — Guess Gilda’s Gasp! Was it a shark? A sneeze? Or maybe just a particularly sparkly plankton?
Turns out, Gilda wasn’t nervous or panicky — she was just living life with maximum enthusiasm. Every scale shimmered with curiosity. Every eye bulged with joy. And every gasp? A celebration of undersea weirdness.
So now, every time something wonderful happens, the town says:
“Give it a Gilda!”
Which means: gasp wildly, look amazed, and let your fishy flag fly.
Be sure to watch for the sequel “Gilda Goes GaGa!” Lol
"The Splash Pack"
"The Splash Pack"
Remember the Rat Pack? Frank, Dean, Sammy and the gang in Vegas. Legends in tuxedos, martinis and smooth tunes.
Now it's time to meet the Splash Pack! Goldie, Ziggy, Daisy, Rocco, Cool Lou and Lil' Zippy, they are reef royalty with technicolor fins, and dance moves that make you shake your booty!
While The Rat Pack crooned in suits, the Splash Pack shimmer in stripes.
While The Rat Pack poured cocktails, the Splash Pack whip up seafoam spritzers.
While the Rat Pack dazzled on stage, the Splash Pack dance across the ocean floor runway with a splash of sass!
They don’t just make waves! They ARE the WAVE!
"It's a Wrap!"
Hot off the press! This isn’t your average newspaper – it’s the “Fish Wrap”, the juiciest tabloid under the sea.
Scandalous reef stories, sizzling recipes, and wildly bizarre gossip about who’s been spotted near the sushi bar!
Spoiler: It’s not looking good for Tuna Turner, or these guys and gals!
Do you see all those fish recipes???
And “that’s a wrap" folks!
See if you can find 3 tats and a nose ring?
"Petal"
"Petal", the Peace Turtle
Petal was a small turtle with a shell like wavy gravy and a heart full of harmony. He was raised on the mellow side of the reef by two free-spirited sea turtles who roamed the currents spreading messages of peace, love, and kelp conservation.
His mom, Luna, swam with flower crowns made of sea anemones. His dad, Marley, played coral chimes and told stories of the Eelstock concerts of ’72. They named him Petaluma, after the town in CA by that name where he was born, but called him Petal because “he bloomed wherever he drifted.”
Petal didn’t care much for speed or structure. While other young turtles practiced streamlining, he preferred drifting in slow circles, watching the sunlight dance through the seaweed. He believed in the gentle power of kindness, and if he caught you being crabby, he'd offer you a dandelion puff (or at least a sea sponge that looked like one).
He wasn’t the fastest, the strongest, or the flashiest turtle in the reef. But he was the chillest. And in a world of currents and chaos, sometimes that’s exactly what the ocean needs.
Petal has a tony purple heart tat on his beak Do you see it?
"Captain Scales" The Pirate
"Captain Scales" was no ordinary fish—he was the most feared pirate of the Coral Seas. His scales shimmered like treasure, each pattern marking a daring adventure.
The spiral by his eye was earned after navigating the Whirlpool of Whispers, and the tiny octopus tattoo signified his pact with the mysterious Kraken Queen.
His ship, The Bubble Marauder, sailed the currents in search of hidden wrecks and sunken gold. But Captain Scales wasn’t after coins—he hunted for symbols, ancient runes said to unlock the “Song of the Deep,” a melody powerful enough to control the tides. With every quest, he painted the clues right onto his body, turning himself into a living map.
Legend says the day all the markings are complete, the ocean will reveal… and the greatest treasure in the world will rise from the abyss. Until then, you can spot him under the blazing sunset, tail cutting through the waves, laughter echoing like the clang of cutlasses and shouting AAARRRGGH! with an evil grin!
"Hook, Line and Bobber"
“Hook, Line and Bobber”
(Available in my show next week)
A picturesque seaside scene unfolds, layered with life above and below the water, meeting at the bobber.
On the pier, a fisherwoman sits poised, waiting for a bite, while a pelican swoops down, anticipating its next catch.
Underwater, an octopus orchestrates a lively ensemble of fish, crab, and coral, seemingly oblivious to the world above. Or do fish glimpse the pelican's shadow? Does the worm understand its purpose as bait? Do fish recognize the danger of consuming the hooked worm?
Above, the beach exudes a serene ambiance, with painted cottages standing sentinel.
Each layer of life remains distinct, unaware of the others.
"Brio"
Brio, the Magical Seahorse!
Brio zips through the water leaving glittering trails of spinning plankton in his wake, turning the dullest afternoon into an impromptu festival. He is part explorer, part mischief-maker and all heart!
We all want to be like Brio!!
PS, Brio has been told many times he has Elvis eyes!
"Lola Lovebubbles"
Say hi today to Lola Lovebubbles! (I can't say this without grinning! lol)
Lola Lovebubbles was convinced she was a fashion icon—mostly because her mom said so. Every day, Mom stitched together outfits from leftover reef scraps: polka-dotted sea sponge, old clam curtains, even last year’s jellyfish hats.
Lola loved parading through the reef in her latest creations. Some fish whispered she looked “a little… patched together,” but Lola didn’t care. She’d wink, twirl, and hum her way along, grinning wider with every patch she wore.
After all, if clothes make the fish, Lola was basically the Lady Gaga of the deep—minus the meat dress… though she did once wear a salmon sash for brunch.
“Some wear labels, Lola wore legends.”
"The General"
General Puggly’s Big Medal Dilemma
General Puggly was the fiercest little fish on the reef—well, “fierce” if you count strategic winking, perfect bubble formations, and always knowing where the best snacks floated.
He had so many medals from bravery, cleverness, and “most stylish gill flare” that swimming had become… complicated. Turning corners required a three-point maneuver, and his tail kept getting tangled in his own decorations.
Still, he refused to take a single medal off. “A true general wears all his honors,” he’d declare, chest puffed, which only made him look even smaller.
Puggly’s dream?
To grow bigger—just enough to add one more medal without having to wear it on his tail fin. Until then, he was the only fish in the ocean who could accidentally sink himself during a victory parade.
WTG General!!! We love you!!
"Jellabella"
Jellabella is the Mistress of Disguise! Sometimes her friends on the reef can’t find her! She loves changing her colors and says it’s not much different than all of us who frequently change our outfits! Hmmm She’s got a point, I think.
"Diesel in Deep Sea Dance-Off"
Diesel showing off his best moves in the
“Deep Sea Dance-Off”