Whimsical Artist Scott Plaster's First in his Project Scuba Series

"Squirlie" -
 first in an ongoing series of commissions

Meet Squirlie, my first fish in Project Scuba.

I've been busy this summer. I just finished a new website for a non-profit organization, which will be unveiled soon. Part of my "creative energies" go into website development, which means less time for painting. But meanwhile I've had time to make headway on a very exciting art project. Let's call it Project Scuba.

Project Scuba began when I was contacted out of the....blue by a local businessman entrepreneur named David. I'm very easy to find on the internet, and David was specifically looking for a local NC artist who specialized in animals. David and his wife Sara are avid scuba divers and they soon came up with a novel idea for a niche market. Scuba divers always bring home souvenirs from their trip -- everything from cards to hats to T-shirts. So instead of have their choices limited to imported trinkets, why not create a high-quality line of products using fine art images?

I was selected because of my "whimsical" treatment of my subjects. I have done a few seascapes and marine life, including my "Crab in Space." David and his wife were anxious to see how I would create similar creatures with the tropical fish that divers see on Caribbean reefs.

We struck a deal for a series of commissions and the rest is history. We've chosen four fish to get us started. David and Sara are getting not only the original paintings out of the deal, but reproduction rights, leaving me the initial sum plus royalties.


The first painting in the project is called "Squirlie," a squirrel fish commonly found on scuba trips. David says it's like "a glamour shot of a fish" with the its lighting effects and treatment. Sara said she wanted the fish to look friendly, while I wanted to make him look "squirlie." Squirrel fish are known not only for the squirrel-like tails, but their wary behavior.


If anyone is interested, prints are on their way, and there will be hats and T-shirts. I can forward your name and contact to David, who is setting up an online store and marketing these to dive shops.

The best part was that Therese and I went out to eat to celebrate -- Captain Tom's Seafood. Mmmmmm.

---Whimsical Artist Scott Plaster
http://scottplaster