OctoFae - Original A4 Octopus Sea Spirit Watercolour Painting

OctoFae is a spirit of the deep: beautiful, radiant and just alien enough that you might want to think twice before swimming closer. Rather than a traditional mermaid, she is built around the strange beauty of the octopus. Her unusual eyes and mottled, freckle-like markings hint at a creature able to shift and change, while warm coral and peach tones make her glow against the colder blue depths. MEANING & SYMBOLISM Her diaphanous dress is patterned with tentacle forms, deliberately blurring the line between clothing and body. As she swims towards you, her lower body disappears into the water: are there legs beneath the fabric, tentacles, or something else entirely? A halo of bubbles continues the circular halo motif that appears throughout my work. Her earrings carry the downward-pointing triangle, the elemental/alchemical symbol for water, while the oval clasps at her dress echo both octopus suckers and moons. She's a temptress: hypnotic enough to draw you towards her, but strange enough to leave one question unanswered. Is she all of your dreams come true, or the beginning of your nightmare? AT A GLANCE Original, one-of-a-kind artwork A4 - 21 by 29.7 cm 300gsm / 140lb acid-free, cold-pressed textured watercolour paper Watercolour, coloured pencils, Posca pen and gold chrome pen Sold unframed COLOUR PALETTE Deep ocean blues and blue-greys, glowing coral, peach and blush pink, with metallic gold details. CONDITION AND CARE The finished artwork will be protected with Dorland's Wax Medium before dispatch. Please keep it dry and away from strong, direct sunlight. The display suggestion in the final image is a digital mock-up for display and scale reference. Designed and painted by Ember Cant in Retford, Nottinghamshire, UK.