Gallery Spotlight
FLORIDA TARPON IN MANGROVES
By Kim B. Parrish
© 2020 – 48 x 30” Oil on Canvas
ATLANTIC TARPON
Megalops atlanticus
FL Status: Catch-and-release only fishery
Up to 8 ft in length and over 300 lb make the tarpon the iconic “Silver King” of Florida waters. If you’re a Florida native like me, you have probably fished for them at one time or another. But having a really tough mouth and a penchant for acrobatics, it’s not easy to stay connected. “Often hooked, seldom landed” is the name of the game with these brawny fighters. To observe them more naturally, I recommend diving or snorkeling with these huge but harmless fish.
Tarpon appear like stainless steel underwater; their giant scales provide a stealthy, mirror-like reflection of their surroundings under the surface, and at times I have found them to be nearly invisible while snorkeling just a few feet away.
My original oil painting “Tarpon in Mangroves” is 48 x 30 inches on canvas, and captures a Florida tarpon emerging from the shadows of coastal mangroves below a school of glass minnows. Some of my paintings are also available as limited edition reproductions. Thanks for your interest in my work, and I hope you enjoy the beauty of Florida’s aquatic wildlife.