Glowing Grace: My Fascination with Jellyfish
What is your favorite animal?
My favorite animal has always been the jellyfish, a fascination that began in my youth at the New York Aquarium in Brooklyn. These ethereal creatures, washing up on the beach with their iridescent hairs glinting in the sunlight, captivated me.
Inside the aquarium, a magical world of jellyfish, illuminated by fluorescent lights, added to this enchantment. Their graceful movements and the tranquil beauty of their tentacles left a lasting impression.
This admiration for jellyfish recently inspired a personal artistic project. In my Charcoal Critters Coloring Book, I found a page featuring a jellyfish. Coloring it with fluorescent pens under a UV light, especially in the dark, brought the creature’s luminous beauty to life. It was an immersive experience that mirrored the enchanting glow of the jellyfish.
For those who share a similar interest in these graceful creatures and enjoy creative coloring, glimpses of this and other works can be found in my coloring book. As someone living with MS, the jellyfish’s effortless movement represents a freedom that’s both aspirational and therapeutic. Perhaps, in another life, I’ll float freely as a jellyfish, unbound by the constraints of the physical world.
That is one glowing jelly fish! A work of art. I agree with you about how graceful they are but I definitely would not want to be touched by those venomous tentacles.
Thanks! Who knew coloring books were legit art. I didn’t know until I started creating them! The black backgrounds now give a whole other reason to use fluorescent! I have never been stung by a jellyfish and don’t plan to! The ones I played with when I was little were harmless. So pretty with these rainbow stripes in the sun when they would wash up. 🪼