Painting the Snook in Islamorada

There are few places in the world that hum with the energy of angling quite like Islamorada.  Located right were our gallery and framing outpost is, Islamorada, truly is the Sportfishing Capital of the World, and its lifeblood flows through the mangrove-lined channels and expansive seagrass flats. It was there, on a quiet morning watching the light dapple through the canopy, that I found the inspiration for the latest piece in my "Sapphire Reef" collection.

I was watching the edge of the mangroves where the water dropped off, and I saw them—a school of Common Snook. They were suspended almost motionless, masters of the ambush. With their distinctive black lateral line running from gill to tail, sloping foreheads, and protruding lower jaws, they are the ghost warriors of the inshore waters. I watched as one launched itself with breathtaking speed at a flash of silver, its power and grace a perfect embodiment of a predator at the peak of its form. The snook is not just a fish; it's an icon of the Florida Keys, a symbol of the wild, untamed beauty that exists just below the surface.

That image—the sleek, powerful silhouette against the shifting light of the backcountry—stayed with me. I knew instantly it was a perfect subject for my Sapphire Reef series. This collection is my artistic celebration of the world's greatest sportfish, rendered in a fun and whimsical way. The goal of the series is to move beyond pure realism and capture the feel of each fish using a graphic style and a palette of vivid, cool colors set against a simple sapphire reef backdrop.

Bringing the snook into this world was a fantastic challenge. I focused on its iconic, streamlined shape, simplifying its form to emphasize its power. Using varying shades of sapphire and deep blue, I highlighted that unmistakable lateral line and the glint of its predatory eye. The result is a piece that feels both dynamic and serene, a graphical interpretation that I hope conveys the spirit of this incredible fish.

It’s a tribute to the mighty snook, designed to bring a piece of Islamorada’s magic into any home with coastal décor.

You can see the final piece here: Sapphire Reef Snook Canvas.