"Somethin' in the Water" reached deep into my roots to create. I was born and raised in Louisiana. Alligators in the water you were trying to fish in weren't uncommon. The fun part was how much the water changed their appearance. Many times, it would just look like a branch in the water. But that wasn't a branch.
The alligator I used as my model for this painting is currently at the zoo in Lufkin, Texas. When its head is raised above the water, its coloring is so much lighter than I expected it to be. Under the water, it was all greens and blacks until the body just seemed to disappear into the water. I really wanted to capture how raised the alligator's eyes were, so I sculpted the ridges and raised eyes directly on the canvas. They stand out about an inch off the surface of the canvas. The back of the canvas is reinforced to hold the extra weight.
The wood frame I found for this painting was perfect. It looked like driftwood. Something that would be naturally floating with this alligator. It is a regular photo frame, so I added a backer piece so the frame could become a floater capable of holding the canvas. It is wired and ready to hang.
Signed by the artist, Amy Bridges. The painting comes with an authenticity certificate. The canvas alone is 18 inches x 14 inches. The Framed Size: 21 inches x 17 inches
