Survivor

Survivor/ oil on board/ 4" x 4"/ sold

I decided almost a two years ago that I wanted to paint glass and things in glass. I had a large bowl and thought that a fish would be interesting to paint, so I went to my local pet store. I fell in love with a large orange bug-eyed fish. I asked the "fish guy" to get him for me. The fish guy asked whether or not I had an aquarium (I thought it was away to increase sales).  I replied honestly that I had a bowl and that I wanted to paint the fish. He led me to the beta fish display and informed me that I could have a beta fish. "Beta fish live without aquariums".  The betas that day were all black and boring. I told him I wanted to paint an orange fish and pointed to the one I had picked out.  Instead, he then took me to a huge tank with minuscule, rapidly swimming flea-sized baby goldfishes (24 cents a piece) and told me to "pick one". "This fish might survive for a while without an aquarium. However,  you must rinse its bowl and freshen and  dechlorinate the water regularly and "for heaven's sake, do not overfeed it! The fish's stomach is the size of its eye". I sheepishly asked whether I should buy two to keep it company. The fish guy snorted as he hastened to bag my little fish, load me up with water treatment drops and fish food and send me to the cashier (who proceeded to exclaim "oh, he will be so lonely").

This fish is now gigantic and actually quite beautiful but without a name.  "He doesn't have a name, he is going to die".