Nobody likes to see jellyfish when they are at the beach. Their stings range from mild to excruciating. My sister & I used to throw stranded jellies at each other on the beach when we were younger and suffered no horrific consequences besides complaints from our mother. But we never engaged in that behavior again after an ill-fated family vacation where my poor young sister had encountered a Man-o-War.

These jellyfish are far away from any bathing beauties, drifting along with the current. Despite their appearance of being subject to simply “going with the flow”, jellyfish can and do steer and propel themselves to some extent.

I chose pastel colors for the water and the bodies of these jellies, but used stronger, saturated colors on their stinging tentacles to suggest danger. The orange and pale blue on their bodies indicate their semi-transparency, while the green is the folds and shadows of their bodies. I used pink (in reference to my sister) to indicate the current and give the jellies a navigational direction.

Acrylic on canvas

w16" x h12"

Simple walnut frame