For a long time I wanted to do a piece which captured my experience as a diver in California kelp beds. Giant kelp is a macro alga which forms dense forests from rocky bottoms to the surface in depths of fifty feet or more. Kelp beds or forests support a rich variety of fishes, invertebrates and other algae. Aside from their biological significance, kelp forests are visually stunning with the green/brown stalks and leaves, shifting shadows, and blue shafts of light penetrating the depths. Their three dimensional complexity can also be a confusing and disorienting environment for a diver. The visual experience and impression of kelp bed diving is what I wished to convey in a painting, but unfortunately I had no personal photograph that was an adequate reference image for such an effort. The idea sat dormant for years. Not long ago I took a photo of living kelp in a public aquarium in Japan and I decided to transform it into an abstract composition that would suit my purpose. The steps were as follows:Create a second version of the image with an altered palate emphasizing cool colors2. Superimpose semi-transparent versions of both images, with one rotated 180 degrees. This constituted my “final” reference image.

1. Select kelp image and create two versions: one in natural colors and another with a blue-green-purple shifted palette.
2. Superimpose semi-transparent versions of the above images with one rotated 180 degrees
3. Pencil sketch the original image 
4. Sketch the rotated image over the first sketch
5. Add oil pastel color consistent with the digitally created reference image.
6. The last step was a long process of working with the oil pastels to eventually result in the final painting.

Below are some images selected to represent the steps. The result is a hybrid of my usual representational or realistic style with a more abstract style. I think it captures the colors and movement experienced when diving in a kelp forest.