Aquatic

What inspired this painting?
A chunk of uncut aquamarine.
 
The beautiful turquoise colour is the first thing you'll notice about aquamarine. The second is probably the clarity. Both gave a challenge in this acrylic painting.
 
The American Museum of Natural History, in New York, houses a treasure trove of minerals, with a huge hall devoted to 5000+ specimens from 90 countries. 
 
Among them is a fragment from the world’s largest gem-quality uncut aquamarine. Weighing 12.7lbs (5.7kg), it could yield around 26,300 carats...about 10% of the original.
 
The whole piece had such clarity that a newspaper would still be legible, even when looking through it lengthways. Wow!
 
Clarity is one of the main factors in assessing a gem’s value, others being colour, cut and carat weight.  

An uncut stone may not have quite the brilliance of a cut gem, but it still has beauty. Irregular shapes, shadows and highlights are formed by light reflecting off the uneven facets. 
 
I revelled in the turquoise colour and clarity and decided to capture it on canvas. I'd recently added Liquitex's Turquoise Deep to my acrylic paint supplies, which certainly proved fortuitous.
 
Creating a sense of transparency,  depth and sparkle is an artistic challenge, but a perfect opportunity for enjoying expressive mark-making. 
 
Aquamarine is a most appropriate name. Not just the blue, green and turquoise colours, but the swirling brush marks are reminiscent of a painting of water.
 
An incredible turquoise gemstone made for a bold statement painting that will suit any contemporary home decor.