Koi

About this artwork

This acrylic was painted from a photograph I took at the Alwun House in Phoenix during an art walk in 1991. The Alwun House was one of my favorite art spaces, and I was especially drawn to the koi pond in their backyard. Painted while I was in college, this piece holds a special place in my artistic journey. It was the first painting I created that I was truly proud of. Years later, I happened to mention the painting to someone at the Alwun House. Their koi had all died, and they asked me to bring the painting in. I never did…something I still regret to this day. For years, I affectionately called the painting “Alwun House Fish,” remembering a time when it almost made it home! Perhaps, in its own way, this painting found its home with me. Koi has been part of my teaching journey for many years, hanging in my art classroom for 11 years and, more recently, in my kindergarten classroom for the past five.