Crab and Starfish

This painting was inspired by a recent tidepooling adventure near Crescent City; my husband and I discovered this pair hiding in a crevasse during low tide. My original plan was to create a ceiling of small barnacles above the crab and starfish, but while experimenting with rubbing alcohol to create texture on the rocks, I discovered that by applying it with a dropper, the alcohol made larger dots and rings, mimicking the shape of the snail shells.

Watercolor on paper