Koi Fish in Motion: A New Home from Gallery North’s Deck the Halls Exhibition

Koi Fish in Motion: A New Home from Gallery North’s Deck the Halls Exhibition

I am delighted to share that my painting “Koi Fish in Motion” found its new home at Gallery North’s holiday exhibition, Deck the Halls. Each time a work sells, what moves me most is not the transaction itself but the knowledge that the piece will continue its life elsewhere, carrying its energy into a new space. This painting is part of my ongoing koi series, yet it also represents a small but meaningful experiment—one that, thankfully, resonated.

My signature works are usually painted on long, expansive canvases. I love the way elongated surfaces allow koi to glide, stretch, and breathe, creating the illusion of endless movement. But for the holiday season, I decided to try something different: a small 11 x 14–inch canvas. I wondered how the koi would move within such a compact frame, and whether the intensity of motion and color could still be conveyed. To my surprise, the smaller space delivered a beautifully concentrated sense of vitality—almost like catching a fleeting moment in a clear pool.

One thing has remained constant over the years: my koi paintings have never failed to sell. It became a running joke among my friends that I am, in a way, a fish seller. But inside that joke is something true—these paintings are not just pictures of fish. People connect to them because they carry the feeling of life itself. To “sell a fish” in my world means to share a piece of movement, a pulse of energy, something quietly alive.

In the early days, I simply enjoyed painting koi because it felt light, fluid, and joyful. But this year, after surviving a long and difficult period of burnout, I asked myself what art truly gives to the human spirit. In that moment of reflection—when I tried to recall the first image that sparked inspiration again—the koi returned to me, clear as water. They were my beginning, and they became my way back. I decided to return to koi not out of habit but out of recognition: they symbolize resilience, continuity, and the quiet strength of living things.

I love these paintings because they are loved in every season, but also because they help me express my deepest desire: to honor the beauty and vitality of everything that lives. I hope that somewhere along the way, someone will understand how much I want to share that joy. So I paint every day—again and again—because painting brings me back to life.

When I heard that Koi Fish in Motion had found its true owner, gratitude washed over me. Only someone who understands what art really is—what it breathes, what it gives—chooses a piece like this. My earnest wish is that this painting brings liveliness, comfort, and renewed energy to its new home. That is the most beautiful role art can play, and it is everything I hope for when I send a painting out into the world.
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A painting begins a new journey the moment it leaves the studio. As I watch this one depart, I am filled once again with quiet appreciation. May Koi Fish in Motion create new ripples of life wherever it goes, and may it continue to swim freely in the currents of its next chapter.

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​A reflection on my painting “Koi Fish in Motion,” sold at Gallery North’s Deck the Halls exhibition—an exploration of creativity, renewal, and the life within art.